“EV tariffs” are import duties specifically applied to electric vehicles (and sometimes their components) when they cross borders. In this segment, the discussion is about whether the UK and EU should pause these duties so EVs can be imported with less cost during the transition period.
“Brexit tariffs” are border taxes that came into play because the UK left the EU. The discussion here is about whether those planned EV-related taxes should be paused so trade stays cheaper and more predictable.
A “rule of origin” is a trade rule that says where something is considered to be made. For EVs, it often comes down to where the battery and related value were produced, which then affects how much tax/import duty gets charged.
Standing charges are the “you have access to this service” fees that you pay even if you don’t use much electricity. With EV charging, that can make short top-ups cost more than you’d expect.
Charging infrastructure costs are the costs of running public charging stations. Those costs can end up affecting how much it costs you to charge on the road.
VAT (Value Added Tax) is a consumption tax added to goods and services, including many costs related to EV charging. If VAT is excluded from a review’s scope, the report may miss a major component of what drivers actually pay at the pump.
“Terms of reference” are the official boundaries and rules that define what a government review or investigation will cover. If VAT is left outside the terms of reference, the review may be unable to address that part of the pricing drivers see.
Pricing transparency means charging stations clearly explain how the price is calculated. If it’s confusing, you can’t easily tell what you’ll pay before you start charging.
Charge point operating costs are the ongoing expenses to keep public chargers running and available. They can include maintenance, communications/monitoring, site leasing, and administrative costs—factors that can drive higher per-kWh or per-minute pricing.
Car
Aion V
Aion V is an all-electric SUV. The hosts are talking about how far it can go and how quickly it can charge, and how it’s meant to compete with other popular EVs.
GAC group is the parent company behind Aion. That’s relevant because it can affect how big and how fast the brand can grow and support cars in new countries.
The Renault Scenic is another car the hosts say Aion V is aiming to compete with. It’s included to show the kind of buyers and use-cases Aion V is targeting.
Car
Geely EX5
The Geely EX5 is another electric car the hosts say the Aion V is competing with. It helps you understand who the likely rivals are.
The Galaxy EX5 is a new electric crossover-style vehicle. It’s being talked about because it’s expected to start at a specific price point, which makes it relevant for people comparing options. The main takeaway is that it’s an EV aimed at the mainstream crossover market.
This is how quickly the car can add charge when you start low and charge up to a fairly high level. It’s useful because charging is usually fastest in the middle, not at the very end.
Chang'en is a car brand (from China) that’s starting to show up in the UK. The hosts are basically saying a lot of people haven’t heard of it yet, even though it’s been around for a while.
BYD is a big car company from China that makes lots of electric cars. The hosts are talking about how BYD’s model names can be confusing because they don’t follow the usual pattern.
Ingenious is a company that helps move cars around the country using drivers and transport agents. Here, they’re involved in a service that deals with deleting personal data inside cars.
A data privacy service is a service meant to protect personal information. In this case, it’s about clearing personal data from cars so dealerships can pass the vehicle on without leaving your information behind.
Privacy for Cars is a company that helps protect your personal information stored in a car. In this segment, they’re described as deleting personal data so dealerships can handle vehicles more safely.
In-vehicle personal data is the personal stuff a car can store—like your user settings or account-linked information. The point of the service they mention is to wipe that information so the next owner isn’t stuck with your data.
The Kia Sorento is a family SUV designed to carry passengers and luggage comfortably. It’s usually chosen for its practicality and the amount of features you get. It’s a common option when people are comparing SUVs in the same general size class.
ChatGPT is an AI that can answer questions in a chat-like way. In this segment, they’re talking about putting that kind of AI into a car’s voice system, so it can respond while you’re driving—and what happens if it gives bad info.
This is a voice assistant built into the car. It can learn and respond to you, and in this discussion they’re focusing on whether it can be trusted to give correct information.
The Volvo XC90 is Volvo’s large SUV with room for a family. They bring it up here because it’s being pitched as a rival to the Audi Q7, with Volvo using Google AI features in the car.
“Level two” means the car can help drive, but it’s not fully in charge. You still have to watch the road and be ready to take over, and that’s why responsibility can fall on the driver if something goes wrong.
The Audi Q7 is a big Audi SUV with three rows of seats. It can be set up for up to seven passengers, and this version is described as having a V6 diesel engine and all-wheel drive.
The Cadillac Escalade is a large luxury SUV. It’s designed to be comfortable and spacious, with lots of features aimed at making the ride feel upscale. People mention it a lot because it’s a very noticeable, big vehicle.
A “retro mod” is when someone takes a classic-looking idea and builds it using modern parts. It’s meant to look old-school, but drive like a newer car.
This is a new performance-style Ford Escort RS build. The hosts say it’s not just a classic-looking makeover—it’s described as using new parts and a new engine, and it’s priced extremely high.
Here, “continuation” means making a brand-new car that follows the original idea, instead of restoring an old one. The hosts say it uses new parts like a new body and new engine.
Red line is the highest safe engine speed. If the tachometer gets near that number, you should shift or ease off so you don’t risk damaging the engine.
Torque is the engine’s twisting force. More torque usually means the car feels stronger when you start moving or when you press the gas at lower speeds.
A dog-leg gearbox is a manual transmission shift pattern where the gears are arranged differently than the common layout. Drivers often like it because the shifts can feel more sporty and precise.
The rear axle is what sends power to the rear wheels. If power goes to the rear axle, the car is driving the back wheels, which changes how it grips and handles.
A restomod is an older car that’s been upgraded with newer parts. The goal is to keep the classic look while making it drive and perform more like a modern car.
The Lotus Esprit is a classic British sports car. The host is saying they love the original, and they’re comparing this new idea to the kind of modern upgrades people do to classics.
The BYD Dolphin G DM-i is a small BYD plug-in hybrid. It can drive on electricity for a long distance, and when the battery needs charging, a small petrol engine helps generate electricity instead of just driving like a normal gas car.
A plug-in hybrid is a hybrid car with a battery you can charge by plugging it in. You can drive it on electricity for a while, and then it uses its gas engine and electric system together when the battery runs low.
BYD’s “blade batteries” are a battery design intended to improve safety and structural strength compared with more conventional pack layouts. The idea is that the cells are arranged in a way that helps resist damage and supports the pack’s rigidity.
Here, the gas engine mostly acts like a power generator. Instead of only turning the wheels, it makes electricity to recharge the battery and keep the electric system going.
Android Auto lets you connect your Android phone to the car and use certain apps on the car’s screen. It’s meant to be more convenient and safer than using your phone directly.
Apple CarPlay connects your iPhone to the car so you can use certain apps on the car’s screen. It helps you use navigation and music without touching your phone as much.
Adaptive cruise control is like cruise control, but it also reacts to the car in front. If traffic slows, it slows down too, and then resumes when the road opens up.
Parking sensors are little detectors that help you judge how close you are to objects while parking. Front and rear sensors cover both directions so you don’t miss obstacles.
The Audi SQ7 is a sporty, higher-performance version of the Audi Q7 SUV. Here it’s mentioned as a comparison to what the hosts think about the EV-first car.
Car
Alfa Romeo Busso V6
The “Busso V6” is a well-known Alfa Romeo V6 engine design. People love it mainly because it sounds special and has a distinctive character.
A “60 degree V6” means the cylinders are arranged in two groups with a 60-degree angle between them. That layout influences how the engine runs and feels.
This is a themed car event where the fun is bringing cars that aren’t the most famous or flashy. The hosts are basically asking: what car would make people say “ooh” even if it’s not a big-name classic?
Car
Fiat Stilo
The Fiat Stilo is a small Fiat hatchback from the early 2000s. The hosts are saying it’s a cool, good-looking choice for a “not-famous-but-interesting” car event, and that it isn’t as unreliable as some people say.
County Limerick is in Ireland. The hosts are saying the incident happened there, so it’s the location context for the story.
LIVE
Welcome to the Motoring Podcast, a weekly discussion of Motoring News. This is Episode
691 on Tuesday, the 16th of June, 2026. Hello, I'm Alan.
Hello, I'm Andrew. This week, you'll hear us talk about flip-flops. In new, new car
news, you'll find out that little can go a very long way. In points of interest, you'll
find out why 2001 was exceptional. We do have a bit of follow-up this week. We are going
to start with what is seemingly becoming the latest in the long-running series of follow-ups
that this show happens to have, and it's the Motor Finance Redress Payment. The headline
from MotorTrader.com is Motor Finance Redress Payment Delayed Until 2027. This is all because
the Financial Conduct Authority or FCA has said due to the four appeals that have come
in because you've got the consumer voice, which we talked about a while ago, because
they said it wasn't giving enough money to consumers. Then you had VW Mercedes, and now
there is also Credit Agricole Auto Finance. Yes.
In all the challenges, they have argued, all those appealing have argued that the rules
and I'm quoting here, rules governing the scheme are unlawful.
Which is a bit of a straw grabbing one, but do remember that, people, whenever you are
next looking for car finance, that Mercedes and Volkswagen and Credit Agricole were fought
against trying to be legal.
Yes, absolutely. With the four challenges, then the FCA has now, well, first of all,
they've got to go through to the tribunal. It's called a upper tribunal. Following that
ruling, they will make a decision. If it falls in FCA's favour, then it's going to
crack on as it was. If the ruling is no, things need to change, then the FCA has said, well,
we'll have to look back at everything. It may be that they tweak what is existing, but
then that goes out to consultation again. Or they can it completely and just say, right,
there is no compensation.
At the minute, the people who stand to lose the most, by the way, are lawyers. The lawyers
who are trying to put together class actions and sort this and take a cut on your behalf,
including on my behalf, by the way, from a personal point of view, they stand to lose
more, I think, than any other parties do.
And those companies that have been found guilty of breaking, and we must remember this, the
law, if it is, can gain everything.
Absolutely.
The next piece of follow up, though, is about the UK, EU, EV tariffs. I've talked about
this before. This time, it is the ACEA, the European Auto Manufacturers Association, and
the SMMT. And they are calling for suspension of the so-called Brexit tariffs on electric
vehicles, which is due to take effect on the 1st of January, 2027. Now, these are already
being pushed back from the 1st of January, 2024. Remember that? Back in the time when
nobody had any clue what was happening anywhere. And now, nobody has any clue what's happening
anywhere. But these were all of the various tariffs, not just automotive, which were due
to take effect then, and that was for all imports in the UK and the EU. Most of this
comes down to rule of origin, specifically around batteries and that kind of thing, particularly
because the 2020 Brexit agreement stipulated that 55% of the value added in car production
must be generated in Europe, that's a combined EU and UK, to allow tariff-free imports from
Great Britain to the EU and back. However, for EVs, 70% of the battery pack and 65% of
the battery sales also have to be manufactured in Europe to qualify for that tariff, those
tariff-free imports. And if any of those three rules of origin aren't met, then you get the
10% tariff. And this, and the predictability of this, is why the electric minis that we
talked about last week are still being built elsewhere, and only the internal combustion
ones are being built in Oxford. However, if these things go through, then Oxford ceases
to become viable, et cetera, according to BMW. And other companies
agree with these things and would quite like this extended, sorted out, et cetera, even
France.
Yeah, I think Europe's got a bigger problem when it comes to the battery side of things
as well, completely down to the fact that so many of the massive battery factories that
were declared were going to be built have bulbing canned. They have got a fraction of
the production that they or was claimed back in the 2020s around that time, when everyone
thought, oh, right, this rate of buying cars is going to happen at this rate. So therefore,
as it is now, and that will continue, and we can just extrapolate that for EVs and everything's
going to be groovy. And yet there's been a whole host of reasons why that's not happened.
One of the primary ones is there isn't the money out there circulating to invest in battery
and battery factories, whereas Britain has to or will have to once the Tata battery factory
is up and running. I can see this. And then if you add on top, the thing we've talked
about last week or the week before about the made in Europe rules, if the UK car industry
is not included in the rules of origin, that's 10%, and then you add another tariff on top,
if they're not included in the made in Europe industrial act thing that's due to come out
soon. Yeah, it's all getting very messy because politicians have realized very, very late
what they've set up and how they've allowed the likes of China to marching and take over
their industrialization. But then if you're a politician these days, then you're not a
politician because you understand how things are made. And the way that the trade manufacturing
or logistics work, you're in politics because you want to have power very rarely because
you want to actually do any good or because you actually understand anything. I've said
that for years, sorry. Yeah, well, that just leads straight into the next article. And
we have to caveat this because we are bending stroke breaking or typical editorial rules
that we have in place, where we do not report on rumors. Yeah, this is theoretically new
news. But in actual fact, it's kind of new rumors. Yes. So we just want to make that
clear up front. Yeah, we're not declaring this is or will be. But it's so big that it
does need to be mentioned. There's plenty of other publications you can find that kind
of route. And according to AutoCar here, the car industry welcomes reports of a dramatic
cut to EV sales targets. This is on the back of I think it was the times over the weekend,
saying that the Prime Minister is going to put out a new timeframe and mandate levels for the
zero emission vehicle mandate. The main headline figure, and this is only for cars because I've
not read the Times article, but I would imagine Electric Vans mirrors this very closely, if not
more so, considering how far behind they are on the mandate compared to how the cars are.
But in 2030, just for cars, there must be an 80% fleet mixture per brand
of zero emission only. The talk is that that will be reduced to 50%.
Just remember, for those of you who are outside the UK, and yes, we do have listeners outside the
UK, much to our surprise, the Prime Minister in the UK is not wonderfully popular. And he is not
even wonderfully popular within his own party. And there are calls from loud people for him to
resign or step aside or be challenged. The Prime Minister is trying to put out as many popular
with people who shout loudly policies as possible right at the moment to try to make himself more
popular. I think that's a fairly decent summary of UK politics right at the minute.
Absolutely. I don't think you've been very kind as well.
Yeah, so do I.
With this, it's only last week or the week before that the government turned around and said,
we're not going to bring forward our zero emission vehicle mandate review. It's only a couple of
weeks ago that there was the latest carbon budget, which went even further and suggested that it would
be 95% EV sales by 2030, not 80%, but 95, which is, we talked about it last week. And here we are
flip-flopping again on another disastrous self-inflicted wound that could have been easily
handled if they just acted like adults and appeared to listen and care.
Yeah, and listening care to experts as well, not just like the public, but actually speaks to
the SMMT and the manufacturers and all these kind of people. The thing is, it has a knock-on effect.
We were talking about this beforehand. It has a knock-on effect this because there are other
industries that are related to EVs that are sort of not saying they're relying on those targets,
but those targets are what they have planned against for their business plan and everything.
And we're talking the charging companies, all these kind of people in the surrounding infrastructure.
And, funnily enough, because everything's tied together tonight, and we're going to speak about
that very soon. But the thing is, you go, yeah, okay, that's great. Don't have to sell as many cars.
But the thing is that there are other industries where that number is the number that they're
based on against. And I'm not saying they're relying on it.
They've made their projections based off the fact that growth is going to happen in a certain
manner, expected manner. And now that expected manner, the foundations are potentially shifting
yet again. Because don't forget, every Prime Minister that's come in has fiddled around the
edges of the zero-emission vehicle mandate since it first came in.
Good know, sorry, far too many of them.
Yeah. I have a lot of sympathy for the likes of what you're saying. They're the charge, you know,
is I have no sympathy at all for people who've decided to tie their existence into EVs being
the only possible outcome. And they are losing their minds at the suggestion of this. And I don't
care because too many of them have lied in the past. It's equally if the zero-emission vehicle
mandate went up to 100% by next year, and the people who hate EVs lost their mind, I wouldn't
care about them because they have lied as well. What we need here is we need facts and we need
truth. Otherwise, it's very difficult for us to criticize MPs and politicians because they are
dealing with a lack of information, truthful facts. The fact that they are sometimes
and often they are only listening to a certain sectors doesn't help, but here they need to get
all the proper facts and they need to understand things. And I think this is a good thing because
we have said for weeks and months now that the targets were pure fantasy when they were
dreamt up and they really are now because reality does not match the expectations.
Are you almost agreeing with Andy Palmer, by the way?
No, I'm not going to do that.
He does make a good point though that the UK was once genuinely admired for policy consistency
and that people could make long-term capital decisions with reasonable confidence that
the regulatory framework would hold. Today, we appear to be executing more U-turns than a London
taxi. I don't know who wrote that for him, but it's quite pretty good.
No, it was at the 2000s, the 1990s. When was the last time that was the case?
I think to suggest that we have been consistent in
regulatory, I think is absolutely nonsense considering how many Prime Ministers we've
gone through. Yeah, in the past when Prime Ministers were more stable.
Yeah, that's a long time ago.
It's not recent. It is getting on through being a long time ago, yeah.
Speaking of something that I just alluded to this next story really,
didn't I? Government is launching its review into public EV charging costs.
Now, the first thing we have to say about this is this does not include VAT.
It would appear that the Treasury have declared that the VAT thing is staying the way it is because
the Treasury is like that. But yes, the price of public charging infrastructure and how much it costs
across the board, that's how much it costs not just to us as a consumer, but also how much
certain things are costing B2C people that we interact, the brands that we see on the charging
points and all of that kind of thing. Because things like all of the overheads in the background
imposed by the grid. Yeah, like the standing charges, isn't it? Has risen dramatically?
Yeah, that's what I'm trying to say. The standing charges, all of these kind of things
have soared. And again, we're talking about low playing field ability to plan all of these
kind of things. It's soared for the charging companies, and it's become incredibly difficult.
Not only that, of course, I've got the VAT that was just mentioned at the top,
which makes everything more expensive than home charging anyway.
So anyway, there's an investigation going into that, and we'll see what happens.
Yeah, what they're going to look at is they're looking at why the costs are what they are today,
how those costs might move prediction between now and 2030, and then what can government and industry
do to bring those costs down. So all the stuff we want them to be looking at, frankly, they're
looking at the whole thing, which is good. And we are supposed to expect the report
of findings in the autumn this year from this. I'm not holding my breath till next year,
but if they can great, and hopefully that pushes the government into doing something to help out,
because if you get a jump in standing charges for these rapid charges of 462% since 2021,
and yet we as the consumer only get a charging cost of 11%, okay, that was just in 12 months,
but that's not anywhere near what the charging companies are having to take on themselves.
There's quite a long quote, so there's an article from evpower.co.uk, which is of course linked
in the show, in the sense all of our source material is. But Vicky Edmunds, who's the
campaign group, Evie England's chief executive, and she's saying Evie England has welcomed the
government's cost of charging review and its focus on cutting costs for drivers,
a major barrier to the transition to electric. She says, our own driver research shows that 75%
of drivers now see public charging costs as the biggest hurdle to driving electric.
Right, now just remember that is for people who already have an electric car, because every other
survey that asks people, the first hurdle is the upfront costs of the electric car,
then it is the charging infrastructure costs. She goes on to say,
it is disappointing that VAT has been left outside the terms of reference, given the clear
unfairness between drivers who can charge at home and those who rely on public network.
However, VAT is only one part of a huge challenge, on its own it wouldn't be enough,
and we need to see real structural reform that brings down charge point operating costs that
reflects a broader set of issues around pricing transparency, reliability and access to charges,
especially for renters, lower and middle income households and people without driveways.
This review must look seriously at every practical measure that can bring down costs
and improve the charging experience for drivers. Transition will only succeed if public charging
is not just available, but fair, affordable and trusted. End of quote. But it's really important
to realise that the whole EV sales and demand aid and all that kind of stuff and the infrastructure
to support that are entirely intertwined. Yep, 100%. And you don't get one without the other.
Neither can lag behind the other. Yeah, it has, they have to go hand in hand,
you can't just say, well, we're not going to bowl with this and go, but why have the number
of new charges stopped? Yeah. Why are the number of charges decreasing? Well, it's easy because
that bit's not moving to to prop it up. And that works up both ways around.
That's something that we're going to have fun with in July, isn't it, Andrew?
Yes, it is. Right, I am going to take us on and the latest Chinese manufacturer brand,
sorry, that has opened dealerships across the UK is Aion. That's A-I-O-N. And they are bringing
their Aion V SUV. I don't know if that's V or five. I think it's V. That's an electric SUV.
And this is part of the GAC group from China, which is the Chinese fourth largest car maker.
This brand Aion is aimed at kind of quoting here from EV powered, who are quoting from Aion,
upper mainstream is what they're aiming at. The vehicles that this is going up against
and aiming for is the likes of the Skoda LROC, the Geely EX5 and the Renault Scenic.
The price is from £36,450. And there is a 75, this isn't new, you can't use by the way,
I'm just rattling this out here quickly, 75.3 kilowatt hour battery up to 317 miles on a single
charge can do some pretty impressive rapid stuff getting up from 10 to 80% in 24 minutes.
Where the dealerships are is they are at Beverly Leeds, Newcastle, Newton Abbott,
Shrewsbury Slough, Swansea and Winchester. And there are more sites scheduled for later this year.
Now these were SMMT, we didn't drive them. Maybe later in the year, I might be Alan.
Maybe later in the year. Yes.
Hashtag tease.
I actually get a chance to record stuff about them. That's down to both of us.
It's another one. I was driving through my local town near the area that has all the car brands
and the car dealerships and there was a Chang'en and I drove past and I go,
what and who is that? And it turns out that that is a known brand that has been here for a little
while. Is it? Well, you say known brand, that's a very wide definition of known given that we
hadn't heard of it. But this is the thing, if you and I and we talk about this every week and we
look on the internet every day for news items and information and all the rest of it, if we are
stumbling across brands and go, hang on, I've never heard of them, what is the person on the
street doing and how do they trust? Yeah, they're telling to me and going, what is this thing?
It's very cheap. But what is it? Sorry, it's good value. But what is it? So yeah,
eating car brands week and it is, it's just most of the time we don't know.
We can't keep on top of it. There are so many and then they're just the model soup.
There's more coming. I was saying to Andrew, by the way, before there was
that, there was useful consumer information in sniff and smith. I saw YouTube short of it.
I have been listening, but not to everyone at the minute. And he where Richard goes through and
he explains why the BYD model range has such a weird set of names in it. It's worth watching or
listening to. Yeah, Charles. Right. Do you want to take us onto the last item to round out the
first part of the show? We were debating this before the show. And I was saying it's a good
idea. It's a really good idea, but it's a shame it has to happen. A company called Ingenious has
launched a data clear data privacy service. Ingenious has a network of 600 drivers transport
agents and their real role is to move vehicles around the country in a way that we pretty much
won't ever notice. However, they have teamed up with a company called Privacy for Cars.
And the idea is they provide a service that will delete in-vehicle personal data for its
customers. And its customers aren't UNI, customers are dealerships, motor traders,
all of these kinds of things. And so they come along, they wipe any personal information that
might be in the car probably by doing a factory reset of one or more systems and eliminating
that. And then they hand over a piece of paper to say that they've done it. Obviously, the
important bit here is the piece of paper to say that they've done it. Why is this a thing?
Well, the thing is not so much that the big deal groups, etc. really care too much about UNI.
But if they're caught to be in infringement with GDPR
as part of the remarketing processes that are dictated and included in GDPR,
given the processing of personal data, then they're going to be in deep financial due
because the fines for serious and repeated GDPR infringements are really very high.
That's really where the value is. The value is in not paying the fines
and in getting the piece of paper that says, no, look, we have a paper trail that shows
that we paid for this to be cleared, which also has an awful effect of being good for people who
are not car people and who are not IT people. And who don't even know this is a thing.
It's like, but yeah, I suppose when my dad traded in his last five series, goodness knows what
and it is worth of sat-nav destinations. Well, when some companies don't even
break in their app, the previous owners access to vehicles that have been sold on. I mean,
you know, it's not the greatest, is it? It's brilliant. Privacy for Cars is a great organization
that is all about how our data should be treated properly, how it is as important. We all know
about our phones and our laptops and that sort of thing. And they are as pointed on car data as
many are about laptops and phone data. And it's excellent that they're out there doing what they
do. I did a series of videos last week. I was in a thing and in most of them, I realized that I have
left the USB cable hanging out the car because I was using car play most of the day. And the reason
for the key was that I didn't want the residuals of the wireless connection
in every car. Yep. Anyway, that's the end of the first part, isn't it?
It is the end of the first part because it takes us two guilt minutes, the quick break in the show
where we ask for a tad of financial support to keep the lights on and the hosting running.
If you feel the Motoring Podcast is worth a small consideration in it.
If you feel the Motoring Podcast is worth a small consideration every month, then you can become
a patron. Different levels of patron include different levels of f**k sakes.
So here is that f**k sake.
Oh no, I just mangled it because it was all going so well, you see.
I've just moved the text around by mistake. Oh hang on, hang on. Command Z. It's not Command Z.
Right, let's try again. If you feel the Motoring Podcast is worth a small consideration every
month, then you can become a patron. Different levels of commit. Oh f**k sake.
Anyway, yeah, it's guilt minute, guys. You know all the spiel. It's the usual spiel.
I'll have to fix it in this before next week. But just be aware that if you're a patron,
you can watch the show recorded live. You'd think I've done it hundreds of times. You'd think I'd
know the flipping words by now. I don't. But if you don't have any spare cash, then it's just
bounce right back to the top. We need a new way of doing it for the guilt minute at the end
because this just isn't working. Yeah. Give us some money, tell your friends,
like, subscribe, etc. YouTube blah. Thank you, everyone.
Right, we move on to new car news where our new system is not going to bulls this up.
You can talk about the Kea Sorento Stroke Tellerite. Oh sorry, I mean the Audi Q7.
No. Really? Am I talking about it? Okay, I wasn't expecting to talk about it.
Oh no, it's me, isn't it? Yeah.
Don't know. I have bulls it up.
And that was entirely my fault.
Right, Alan, I'm going to take us on to new car news and hopefully we can't mess this part up
any further than we already have. And I'm going to talk about the Kea Sorento Stroke Tellerite.
No, sorry, I mean the Audi Q7 that has been revealed, the Mark 3 Audi Q7, which according
to AutoCar has a striking new look and punchy diesel. It's big and aggressive.
Well, it really does look like a Kea at the front if you look at the front of it.
Very much does. The side and the back sort of gives me similar vibes. When you get inside,
it's just frankly depressing. But that is... But he's got a screen for the front passenger
because everybody needs that. Yeah, because no one has a phone, do they, Alan?
No, no, absolutely nobody. No, no one ever has a phone. It has three screens, actually. It has one
for obviously for right behind the steering wheel, then there is the infotainment in the middle
or whatever that is. And then there is one directly pointing at the passenger for some
unknown reason. But this is great. It's equipped with an inbuilt self-learning voice assistant
that can control key functions and uses chat GPT to answer questions on the move.
I'm glad you mentioned that. I would love to hear our regional accent correspondent
try to see if it will self-learn. Well, no, here's the thing. Many people probably don't know this,
but last week in a German court, Google was held liable for the results it's AI produced.
I know, isn't that great? Now, as that's the case, will Volkswagen be held or Audi be held liable
if the voice assistant gives incorrect information? I don't know. Technically, I think it should.
Well, I think it's set a precedent. It has set a precedent. I hadn't even thought about that.
Which I wonder whether now the Volkswagen group suddenly goes running very far away from sticking
chat GPT in their cars. But just that little point there, that is interesting. And particularly
for Volvo, because this Q7 is going to go up against the Volvo XC90, Volvo is all in with Google.
Volvo is crawling with Google. And here's the other thing. The latest boast from Volvo is that
the Google AI will decide what the road signs are and will help the car act accordingly.
Okay. What if you get that wrong? Because at the minute, me as the driver gets held responsible
because it's only a level two system. Can we come at this from another angle, please? Anyway,
that's by the bike. We're going on a complete tangent there, but it is relevant. And it's
relevant not just to these cars, but to so much. Yeah, this is mega important now. All these
companies had rushed to throw AI in. And now they're going to be held accountable for it.
Anyway, this Q7 is the large three row, typically three row, but it can come with a 56
and seven seat setup. Depending on your choice, it is going to start from around 80,000 pounds.
It is going to have a new V6 engine. It's a three liter diesel V6. There's only one type of engine
at the moment. It's going to come to the UK. It's going to have two flavours of it. And it's
going to be all wheel drive as well. If you need mohoussive SUV with a potential to shift seven
people around, then it's one of those cars that gets picked, isn't it? Yeah. And it's not really
sized for UK and European roads generally. No, there's a bigger one coming. They are bringing
an even bigger one. This is, you know, this is sized for North America. I would just like to say
I took my large American SUV by European standards. I overtook Cadillac Escalade long wheelbase.
Did you waive at each other? Well, he was so far away from me. It just made me remember
why I, in the US, I always argued that, no, this was a small compact vehicle.
I mean, there's no buttons on the inside really for the front. There's panels with
elements highlighted in which you are to stab at, and that will act as a button,
but they're not actual buttons. That's going to be fun on the move.
It very much is whatever. It's akin to an electric, a Chinese electric SUV. You become a bit,
you become a bit blozzy bored of them. Oh gosh, another one that's entirely as I would have
predicted. Yeah. Sorry, I just don't find this interesting. No, it's just much like I don't
find the next one interesting either, but again, for completely different reasons. And loads of
car people will find these cars interesting and loads of non-car people will think that these are
amazing, but I just don't get it. This is boring. This has been going around the internet. Everybody
knows what this looks like now. If you listen to us, you've seen it. Borum have revealed their new
Ford Escort RS and it's not a retro mod. It's a continuation type thing because it's a whole
new body shell and a whole new engine and all of that kind of stuff, but it will cost you 300,000
pounds plus tax, plus taxes and whatever else before you have ticked a single option. Ouch.
Yeah, it's an awful lot of money. Borum reckon they're going to build 150 examples,
which I just don't understand how there is demand for 150 of these. I'd be surprised if there's
a demand for 50, to be perfectly honest, at that kind of price. Again, it's going to be the people
who have a warehouse or several warehouses full of cars and they just want to add a different one
to it. Yeah. It's not going to be anyone that takes it into any, you know, goes down the road
with it or anything like that. It's not aimed at even a semi-regular consumer. It's at the mega
rich is what it's aimed at. Yeah. The ones who really want a modern engineering precision
to deliver a visceral analog driving experience. It's got a 2.2 liter engine with a 10,000 RPM
red line, which weighs just 85 kilos, sends 326 brake horsepower and 155 pound feet of torque
through a five speed dog leg manual gearbox to the rear axle. The car itself weighs just 895 kilos,
depending on your options, of course. It's about 300 brake horsepower per tonne and it should zip
off the mark. For what it's worth, I like the look of it. I like the look of the interior,
but similar to the Q7 in as much as it's irrelevant to me. So therefore, my interest is not
monstrous because I'm never going to get near one. I'm never going to own one. I'm never going to
drive one. So at that point, there's plenty of others out there that I will or want to
that I think you can only spend your attention in so many places. Again, I like the fact someone's
done it. I like the fact someone has gone, this isn't a Porsche. You know, we haven't murdered
a Porsche. You know, we've gone something different and it's a bit like the Lotus Esprit
Resto Mod thingy. They picked a different car. They picked a different brand and I applaud that.
You see, the thing is I've always loved the Lotus Esprit. So I get the Lotus Esprit one,
but even the best looking four-desk, no, not these are the best looking four-desk,
quite like the Model 4 because I'm weird.
He said that. I made no comment on everybody.
Yeah, I've always figured that was the best looking one. These are the right express.
But like I said, I'm glad someone's done it. That's good. And I hope they sell their 150
so they can do something else with some other thing. Good luck to them.
Anyway, I'm going to move us onto a car that whilst it seems humdrum is actually
really impressive from a technological point of view.
Sorry, just quickly. This interests me so much more than either of the last two because this is
much cleverer. This is much, much cleverer than either of those headlined grabbing extensions.
Yes. And this is the BYD Dolphin G DM-I, which is the first super mini to come out as a plug-in
hybrid. It will have a maximum range of 646 miles and it will do just on electric alone,
65 miles in a super mini. That's immense. So only recently we've been talking about quite
large SUVs doing 80 miles on electric only. This car blows away so many other things in terms of
the potential range and performance side of that things. I'm not talking
outright speed or anything like that or driving dynamics in a super mini for against stuff that
will cost a lot more. We don't know the price of this yet, but with the super mini there will be a
ceiling to the price. I just thought I'd go check. I once got out of a Yaris diesel,
I always got 507 miles on attack, which is quite impressive in itself, especially across the diesel
back then, and that was 2006. And yes, he does keep his records that long, everyone.
No, I knew I'd take a photo of it because it was one of those ones where you start off
when you get 90 on the Autobahn with everyone else. And as you get closer and closer and closer,
closer and closer from Karlsruhe to, I think, you know, I actually think included in this was
a lap of the Nurburgring. Was this the Nurburgring one? Yeah. And then a lap of the Nurburgring,
Karlsruhe, and then back to Oddingston just outside Glasgow. And that was where I took
a bit of fun. And it's one of those ones where you think, I might be able to make it all the way
home. I just did, yes, 507 miles. I was just double checking because that was pretty impressive
from like a 35 liter tank. This is something else. Because it's going to have a 1.5 liter
petrol engine mated up to a 120 kilowatt electric motor. They're going to use their
blade batteries. And the engine is primarily running as a generator to charge up the batteries. So
it's like a range extender type thing set up. The way that this car is set up is it's EV first.
And the only time that the petrol really kicks in to drive the car is if
the system decides that the most efficient way is petrol. The 0-62 is apparently going
to take 8.3 seconds, which is fine, perfectly fine. That's absolutely fine. But it's going
to have a lot of tech inside it, as so many of these Chinese vehicles do. So many, too.
Obviously, big screens, stuff like that, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay,
review camera, adaptive cruise control. Well, that's one of the things that
your own cat wants these days. Parking sensors front and rear, LED lights, heated seats,
steering wheel, wireless charging, blah, blah, blah. The sort of stuff that you are expecting
at the top of the range. You're getting a lot of stuff here. Yeah, it doesn't sound like you're
hair-shorting it to be able to get that kind of range, to be honest. No, this is really impressive.
I want to try this. Yeah, yeah, me too. This floats my boat so much more than a
bit of Audi SQ7. Yeah, it really does. Yeah, clever little thing. Looking forward to seeing that.
All of which brings us to points of interest, now. Points of interest this week. Start off
with a lunchtime read. And this week, it's from Nathan Chadwick. And it is all about
the Alfa Romeo Busso V6. That is the V6 engine, which has graced many Alpha, starting with the
Alpha 6, which was designed by a chap called Giuseppe Busso. And the thing about this engine is
it wasn't just designed for power. It wasn't just designed for speed. It was designed to be
awesome. Yes, it was, you know, the headers were tuned for the noise that they would make. It has
an unusual firing order. Again, for that sound, 60 degree V6 or aluminum combat. I shouldn't be
reading this whole story out because I want you to go read it and find out why the Busso is quite
as awesome as it is. It's on Hagerty. Link in the show notes. As always, go have a read well
worth the four or five minutes of your time. Yeah, great read that. Okay, that means that I am
taking us onto a list of the weekend. We're going to stick with Hagerty. This time, thanks to Anthony
Ingram, and it is titled 2001 Stars Now Eligible for Festival of the Unexceptional. And Anthony has
plucked but a mere few from the 2001 era in which you could rock up and submit your vehicle to be
entered into the festival of the Unexceptional. There's not enough here for me to choose, so I
am going to ask Alan. And there are some really interesting cars here, actually. It's tricky.
It's a case of, what do you show up with at the festival that would make people go,
ooh, or ooh, I've gotten that? Or what would I actually want to go? There is a difference.
Yeah. There's a significant difference here. I think the one that bridges the gap is the Fiat
Stilo. Okay. I've always thought that's a handsome design.
Yeah. And that's one of the reasons I'm choosing it. It is a good-looking car. They're not as
unreliable as people make them out to be. And yeah, it's one of those cars that you think,
oh, I forgot about that. Oh, that's quite cool, actually. Doesn't it look good these days?
And I think that that's both the kind of reasons that I like certain cars. So it works for me,
but I also think it works well at Festival of the Unexceptional when you turn up and go,
wow, yeah, I'd kind of forgotten about that. That's what I'm going for, the Stilo.
Okay. There is a link in the show notes as ever for you to scroll through the other options
and see whether you agree with Alan or not, or what would you take?
Yes.
But that means, Alan?
Oh, that means that I'm at the end finally, doesn't it?
Yeah, it does.
This week's End Finally was a story so, I don't know, is it really a motoring story?
Yeah, let's say it is.
But it's out there. It's definitely an end finally.
It's definitely an end finally. And I saw the story and thought,
I don't know if it motoring or not, but it's definitely an end finally.
In a vehicular incident that took place in County Limerick last Monday,
there was a chat. I don't even know how to start and explain this. Basically, an incident occurred
in which someone was killed. It just so happened that the person who was killed
happened to be wearing a balaclava and carrying a loaded pistol.
And it seems that he was a known paid assassin on his way to carry out a feud-related murder
near Munster. And his accomplice did a runner. It's one of those things. The whole thing is
true and it's real, but it just seems like some kind of rotten movie.
It feels like it's like one episode out of Slow Horses or something.
Yes. You'd think, oh, don't be so silly. That'll never happen in real life.
Assassins don't actually drive their rental cars in a balaclava. Well, it seems they do,
or at least did.
And then failed to follow the sat-nav, so then they tried to turn around. That's when the
collision took place and the passenger got killed and the driver legged it. And now they had,
when this article came out on Friday last week, from Monday when the incident happened,
the guarder had actually was monitoring all exits from the country very, very closely because
they think they know who the driver was. It's just nuts.
It's worth saying, by the way, that the driver and the passenger of one of the other vehicles,
whose man is 60s and woman in her 70s, were treated at the scene for minor industries.
And a woman in her 60s, driving the third car, also sustained minor injuries that required
medical treatment. We hope that they're all okay, but it does sound like some kind of fast movie,
doesn't it?
Yeah, you get around the point and go, yeah, we had a car written off. Why? Well,
you're not going to believe this.
Yeah, yeah, it's definitely one of those. But that, I think,
rounds it up for this week, doesn't it?
It does. Yeah. I don't think there's any parish notes.
No, no, no. I don't think so. Either no special edition or anything, and next week,
although a warning of the possibility of my audio not being great because it will be recorded from
the hotel room, but from a fancier hotel room than normal, so there might be a soft furnishing
in evidence. Don't get your hopes up, folks, but there might not be a complete echo.
That's about it, really, isn't it? I think so, yeah.
Anyways, don't forget that 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 Motoring Podcast 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.
Andrew, what's the best way to get in touch with you?
The best way to get in touch with me is if you search for Crack Win screen on Blue Sky,
while we still have access to it, and that is not your platform of choice, then maybe LinkedIn,
where I am under my full name. Alan, if people would like to get in touch with you personally,
what's the best way for them to do that? For me, it is definitely a Blue Sky,
where I'm at AGP Bradley, that's b-a-d-l-e-y dot b-sky dot social alternatively.
Before all of the teenagers invade it, you can also find me on LinkedIn.
We'll be back very soon, but until then, I've been Alan Bradley,
I've been Andrew Clews, and Safe Motoring.
About this episode
Motor Finance Redress Payment news leads off with the headline that it’s “Delayed Until 2027,” tied to FCA appeals. The discussion then shifts to EV trade and policy: “rule of origin” battery thresholds determine whether EVs face a “10% tariff,” while UK zero-emission vehicle mandate targets are said to be in flux. Charging costs get attention too—standing charges and VAT scope. The show also covers Aion’s UK EV launch, a new car-data privacy service, and a run of fresh vehicle stories from the Audi Q7 to BYD’s Dolphin G DM-i.
FOLLOW UP: MOTOR FINANCE PAYOUTS DELAYED UNTIL 2027
As suspected, following appeals against the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ruling and redress scheme, the FCA has announced that payouts will be delayed until 2027, if it goes ahead at all. The appeals have argued for the scheme to be quashed due to the claim that the rules governing it are illegal. For more in this, click the link here for a MotorTrader article.
FOLLOW UP: INDUSTRY CALLS ON THE EU AND UK TO REACH NEW BREXIT DEAL
Industry bodies for both the UK and European car manufacturers have called on both governments to reach a new ‘Rules of Origin’ deal that will allow for tariff free importing and exporting of cars and parts made in either area. This runs out at the end of this year. If you want to find out more, click this electrive article link here.
REPORTS THAT GOVERNMENT TO REDUCE MANDATE LEVELS
Over the weekend news broke on the rumour that the Government is set to reduce the required zero emission vehicle mandate level to 50% for 2030, instead of the 80% it is currently at. This is just a couple of weeks after the latest Carbon Budget claimed it would be at 95% and recently that they would not begin a review into levels until next year. To learn more, click this Autocar article link here.
GOVERNMENT BEGINS REVIEW OF PUBLIC CHARGING COSTS
After promising to do so, in the 2025 Budget, the Government has finally commenced the review into public EV charging costs. All are aware of the disparity between home and public charging prices and with more buying EVs who have no access to home charging the penalties can make the financial case for sticking with ICE. The review is looking at why the costs are what they are, how they might move between now and 2030 and what can be done to reduce them. The report into all this is expected in the autumn of this year. Click this EV Powered article link here to read more.
AION LATEST CHINESE BRAND TO OPEN SHOWROOMS IN THE UK
Aion has opened a number of UK showrooms, in a first for the Chinese GAC Group. This brand is positioned as ‘upper-mainstream’ by GAC and will be selling the Aion V, an electric SUV, initially. This will be followed by the Aion UT hatchback, later in the year. To see where they are now based, click this EV Powered article link here.
NEW DATA PRIVACY SERVICE LAUNCHED
Engenius has launched their Engineius DataClear service, with the help of Privacy4Cars. This will delete in-car personal data from the vehicle, with a report to providing a paper trail to confirm it has taken place. Not only does this help customers but also complies with GDPR requirements. For more on this, click this MotorTrader article link here.
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 -Audi Q7
Audi has revealed the third generation of their large SUV, the Q7. This will come with either five, six or seven seats and has a fresh new look both outside and in. There will be only one engine available, a new 3.0 litre V6 diesel, but in two flavours. Full details on the performance and power capabilities is yet to be confirmed. The interior is brought in line with other recently released models. Prices and full specifications are expected in the next month. Click this Autocar article link for more.
Boreham Ford Escort RS
Boreham Motorworks has revealed what they are calling a ‘continumod’ in the form of a Ford Escort RS. Costing from £345,000 (in the UK) this is a completely new car that takes inspiration from the Mk1 Escort. Their Ten-K engine is a 2.2 litre petrol, which produces 326bhp and 155lb ft of the torques. There will also be the option to have a re-engineered Twin Cam that the original used in period. Only 150 will be built. Click this Autocar article link for more.
BYD Dolphin G DM-i
BYD has revealed the first plug-in hybrid supermini, with their Dophin G DM-i. With a maximum range of 649 miles and an electric only range of an impressive 65 miles, this car puts to shame many which cost more and are bigger. It will come with a 1.5 litre petrol engine and a 120kW electric motor. Prices are yet to be revealed and deliveries expected to start in the autumn. Click this EV Powered article link for more.
LUNCHTIME READ: BUSSO V6
We are recommending a Hagerty article for your reading pleasure this week. Nathan Chadwick writes all about the fabulous Alfa Romeo Busso V6. You’ll find out about the history of this evocative engine. Click this link to read all about it.
LIST OF THE WEEK: 2001 STARS NOW ELIGIBLE FOR THE FOTU
Antony Ingram highlights just some of the 2001 cars that are now eligible to be entered into the Festival of the Unexceptional. Do you agree with Alan’s choice? Click the link here to check out your options.
AND FINALLY: SWEDISH HITMAN KILLED IN LIMERICK ROAD INCIDENT
A Swedish contract killer was killed in a road collision after his driver accomplice was attempting to turn the car around after going the wrong way. This sounds like the plot from a low budget thriller, but is what happened last week. Click this Irish Times article link to read more.
