Motoring Podcast - News Show
Motoring Podcast
Updated 3 days agoMotoring enthusiasts Alan and Andrew discuss their takes on the week's motoring news in this 45 to 60 minute audio podcast.
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Episodes (338)
Special Edition - The Car Crowd
Alan had a chat to David Spickett of The Car Crowd to find out all about buying a share, or shares, in a classic car and what you can expect as a result.To find out more about The Car Crowd you can follow them on Instagram, on Facebook and on their website.
Not In Your Half-Lifetime - 7 September 2021
FOLLOW UP: PARIS SPEED CAMERAS RUNNING INTO PROBLEMSThe unpopular reduction of the speed limit in Paris has meant that some runners are being caught by the City’s speed cameras, exceeding the 30km/h limit. In a promotional and clever stunt the running shop DISTANCE has teamed up with professional athletes to get caught at night triggering the cameras. To read more, click The Connexion article here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR AUGUST 2021The August figures for New Car Registrations have been revealed by SMMT and they are predictably poor. Through a combination of supply and Covid issues, SMMT tells us are the reasons behind the worst August since 2013. To find out more, click here for the SMMT article. HYUNDAI LATEST TO ANNOUNCE ALL-ELECTRIC FLEET FROM 2035Hyundai is the latest manufacturer to announce when they will be electric only, in Europe. From 2035 they will only sell EV or hydrogen powered vehicles. They also aim to be carbon neutral from 2045. To find out more, click the YesAuto article here. In their drive, pun intended, to get help the public understand hydrogen and the potential for it better, they will be making efforts to ‘popularise hydrogen’, with one tactic to release a 671hp hydrogen powered sports car. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. FUEL PRICE 20P PER LITRE MORE THAN LAST YEARShocking news from the petrol retail industry, the price of fuel has not risen in August, however, we are still paying more than 20p per litre over last year’s prices. As we all holidayed in the UK this summer they didn’t need to put the price up to exploit the motorist. To find out more, click the Motoring Research article here. CONNECTED KERB INSTALLS 22 CHARGING POINTS IN LAMBETH22 roadside charging points have been installed in Lambeth, as part of a project to demonstrate how affordable public charging can be set up and accessed by all. The 7kW units utilise contactless payment, via the company’s app. To find out more, click here for the Fleet News article. ——————————————————————————-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 PODCAST——————————————————————————-
Shake All Your Crockery - 31 August 2021
UN SAYS LEADED PETROL IS NO MOREThe UN has announced that the last country to sell leaded petrol to the public has now stopped. Algeria was the last of 80 odd countries that used this petrol well into the 2000s. The announcement was made on the eve of E10 unleaded petrol being mandated in the UK. To read more, click the Hagerty article here. DS AND AUDI MAKE FURTHER ELECTRIC ANNOUNCEMENTSDS Automobiles is the latest manufacturer to announce their shift to fully electric models only, from 2024. To learn more about their move, click the Autocar article here. Audi have also announced an acceleration to e-mobility, with them saying they will have more than the previously mentioned 20 models as EVs, by 2025, as well as working closer with energy suppliers, as we saw with the recent news of more charging companies being accessible via their one pay service. WORLD’S LARGEST CHIP MAKER PUTS THE BOOT INTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is reportedly putting up the prices of automotive chips, at a time when the industry is struggling just to get hold of them at all. Older chips, such as those the car industry uses, will have a bigger price rise than more modern and profitable products. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. LOTUS TERMINATES DEALERSHIP PARTNERSHIPSLotus has been reviewing their dealership partnerships and has, apparently by mutual agreement. With the shift in strategy for Lotus more investment will be required by any retail locations, for branding alterations and electrification. To read more about this, click the Autocar article here. FEARS OVER PLANS TO SCRAP TRAILER AND HEALTH TESTSThe Government is proposing changing the requirement for an additional test, those who wish to tow a trailer and do not meet the exemptions. This is concerning as this is in place due to safety reasons, therefore to discard them seems dangerous. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. Additionally, the British Medical Association has expressed fears that the Government is seeking to circumvent the medical assessments required for some drivers, including HGV. This, as well as the trailer test issue, are all suggestions to get around the backlog that has built and the subsequent shortage of lorry drivers the country is facing. To read more, click here for the Motoring Research article. CITROËN ROLLS OUT SIGN LANGUAGE IN ALL RETAIL OUTLETSCitroën has started a program that will make their retail outlets more accessible to those who are hard of hearing, with sign language facilities. To find out more,
Doesn't Come Wrapped In Tartan - 24 August 2021
SEMI-CONDUCTOR CRISIS - UPDATEWhilst this has been an ongoing issue for the car industry, we haven’t updated you on who is being hit hardest at the moment, but we address that in this episode. Of note is Toyota announcing a cut of 40% in global output, Volvo idling the Gothenburg plant again and JLR telling lease companies it is struggling with supplies. To read more about that and all affected, click the Autocar link here. VAUXHALL HERITAGE FLEET AT THE BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUMWhat remains of the the Vauxhall Heritage Fleet will now be kept at the British Motor Museum, allowing us all to see the significant and interesting cars from Vauxhall’s past. This is great news and congratulations to all who maintained the fleet, enabling many to enjoy these cars for years to come. To find our more, click here for the Autocar link. BLACKBERRY ADMITS TO SERIOUS BUGBlackberry has finally admitted to a serious flaw in their past versions of the QNX software, to be found in 175m cars, industrial systems and medical devices. To date this has not been exploited but the race is on to update all the software. To find out more, click The Register’s article link here. BLOODHOUND LSR NEWS Bloodhound LSR has announced a new CEO, the search for future funding ramping up, contracts for the engines extended and a new display home of the Coventry Transport Museum. Whilst they have been publicly quiet over the last 18 months, clearly behind the scenes things have been busy. To find our more, click their own press release 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 PODCAST——————————————————————————-NEW NEW CAR NEWSNissan Z Nissan have revealed their next generation Z car, continuing the name that goes back to the lovely 240Z. Unfortunately, the car will not be coming to Europe, due to the tighter emission controls across fleets, but it is seen as a direct rival to the GR Supra in those territories it can be sold in. Alan likes it, whilst Andrew is underwhelmed by the looks. To find out more, click here for the EVO link.Kia Soul EV MaxxKia has revealed the face lifted Soul EV along with a new top of the range, in the form of the Maxx which replaces the First Edition. Fitted with a 64kWh battery the range is around 280 miles and will come with a lot of toys. With the plug-in grant of £2,500 this will cost £32,445. To learn more about this,
And What Watt - 17 August 2021
FOLLOW UP: WHAT MAKES A SALE A SALEWith thanks to the SMMT we can now confirm that a “sale” is when there is a change in owner, so if a person or company continue their lease beyond the original time frame, that will not be added to the figures reported. Which makes the reported numbers even more impressive than the chaps originally thought. CORNWALL SPARKS COMMERICAL EV DRIVEWatt Electric Vehicle Company has announced that it plans to build up to 5000 electric commercial vehicles a year, from 2023. They will be utilising a ‘skateboard’ platform to aid modularity and allow different sized vehicles to be built. The first prototype will be revealed in 2022. These will be built at a new facility in the Midlands. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. TESLA AUTOPILOT INVESTIGATED IN USThe US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has launched an investigation into 11 traffic incidents that involved stationary emergency service vehicles, whilst the driver of Tesla vehicles were utilising the Autopilot feature. This is a very tight remit of investigation, however, the findings could effect the entire industry. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. For some context and background to this, click here for the Ed Niedermeyer Twitter thread. NAT WEST TO INSTALL 600 CHARGERS Nat West Bank wants to install 600 charging points across it’s branch network by 2023. Added to that they intend to change 300 of their fleet to EVs. This plan is aimed at helping the company and staff decarbonise their transport, but will also be available for customers. To find out more, click the ZapMap article here. AUDI IMPROVES EV CHARGE CARD SERVICE Audi has announced that for UK drivers, their one-card EV charging service will now cover 17500 charging points, which is almost 75% of the public chargers available. Their service has two tiers, with city and transit tariffs. Those who mainly do urban miles are only charged £4.91 per month plus a charging fee and transit is charged out at £16.81 per month plus charging fees because they need access to faster charging points. To read more, click the Autocar article here. HYDROGEN STRATEGY ANNOUNCED BY GOVERNMENTThe Government is investing £240 million to help “kick start” the hydrogen “revolution” in transport and heavy industry, as part of their switch to a net-zero carbon future. A consultation has also been launched into how to fund the switch from fossil fuels to hydrogen. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. Autocar, also has an opinion piece from Jesse Crosse, which looks at the announcement with a slightly raised eyebrow. To read this,
Surprisingly Practical - 10 August 2021
JULY 2021 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESSMMT has released the July figures for new car registrations. In what is being reported as a combination of factors, thanks to Covid and chip shortages, the numbers are not good. They are the worst since the 1990s, in fact. To find out more, click the SMMT article here. To see Triston Young’s breakdown of numbers by fuel type, click his Twitter thread link here. HYUNDAI LAUNCHES ELECTRIFIED SUBSCRIPTION SERVICEHyundai has launched Mocean, a subscription service for their electrified models. The one monthly fee will cover insurance, the VED, maintenance, repairs and roadside assistance. Prices start from £339 per month, with Greater London being the first location covered. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. BMW TO REWARD PHEV OWNERS FOR ELECTRIC ONLY DRIVINGIf you drive one of the selected BMW plug-in hybrid models, in one of the selected areas, only in electric mode, you will earn yourself points that once they reach a certain level can be redeemed at selected charging units. To find out more, click the Autocar article here. GOOGLE MAPS TO WARN OF ULEZ ZONES When planning a route, with Google Maps, the service will now warn users if their intended route will go through a clean air zone. On the initial roll out, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Berlin will be covered. To find out more, click here for the BBC News article. RENAULT AND GEELY PARTNER FOR HYBRIDS IN ASIA In a shock announcement, Renault and Geely will partner up to build hybrids for the Chinese and South Korean markets. Geely will build the cars for Renault, whilst they worry about the branding and marketing. The chaps muse how this has been received in Nissan-land. To read more, click the Autocar article 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 PODCAST——————————————————————————-NEW NEW CAR NEWSMorgan Plus Four CX-T Morgan, in partnership with Rally Raid UK, have revealed an overland adventure version of the Plus Four model. This looks fantastic and Andrew has added it to the yet to be realised multicar test titled ‘Surprising Cracked Windscreen Family Hauliers’ that has a number of, well, surprising cars that you wouldn’t expect would make perfect family transport. To read more about the Morgan,
Special Edition - Toyota Yaris Design Review
Alan had the Toyota Yaris Design for a week. Listen in as he explains, to us all, about the differences between this and the last generation, his surprise and we have to find out if Andrew has to pull him up for the lack of balance and justification in his review.Note:For this episode only, the Alan Drinking Game(TM) is suspended due to concerns for the listeners health.
All The Hard Words - 3 August 2021
SECURITY VULNERABILITY FOUND IN SMART CHARGERSPenTestPartners has investigated smart EV chargers available to those buying for themselves as well as public chargers, finding many security vulnerabilities. For those interested, click here for PenTestPartners’s own report. However, one concern is the operating system used by some firms. Where Raspberry Pi is used there are more issues, because that is not a suitable OS for a connected device due to a lack of security layers inherent in the system. For more info click here for Ken Munro’s tweet, commending the quick reaction by one firm to the information. Click here for another tweet from Ken Munro expressing his dismay at another company’s reaction. Click here for Cybergibbon’s tweet explaining why Rasberry Pi is not suitable. FORMER FRENCH MINISTER UNDER INVESTIGATIONRachida Dati, a former French Minister, has been placed under formal investigation for payments made by the Dutch based Renault-Nissan joint-venture, during Carlos Ghosn’s time as CEO. Dati has previously been cleared over payments and her lawyer stated these were all reported and legal. To read more, click the Automotive News article here. CLIMATE SPOKESPERSON CAUSES ONLINE KERFUFFLEAllegra Stratton, the Prime Minister’s climate spokesperson, stated that for her a third-hand diesel Golf is better than an EV, due to the lengthy journeys she travels to visit relatives. One aspect is that she seems to have no understanding of the current state of EV and the charging network. Also, however, there were many Twitter conversations, where some journalists and those who should know better, demonstrated their lack of understanding of the current situation. To read more, click The Guardian article here. GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR ZERO-EMISSION TRUCKS The Government is putting forward £20 million for initiatives aimed at helping improve the viability of electric and hydrogen lorries. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. IMPORTANT CHANGES TO HIGHWAY CODE A new hierarchy of road users will be implemented with proposed changes to the Highway Code, meaning pedestrians and cyclists will be given priority over others. The idea is that those who have the potential to cause the most problems and danger have to take the most care to prevent that. Only snag the chaps can see in that idea is those who really need to know the changes will be oblivious unless there is a huge communication campaign. To read more,
Special Edition - Hyundai i20 Premium Review
Alan had the Hyundai i20 Premium for a week. Listen to us talk about the direction of the corporation, fuel filler caps and Alan’s wonderful circulation in a review that you will get no where else. Also, we do actually discuss the car, so you will find out if Alan rates it or not.
Don't Wink - 27 July 2021
FOLLOW UP: MITSUBISHI AFTERSALES DEAL DONEA deal has now been finalised between The Colt Car Company and IM Group over the future of Mitsubishi aftersales business, resulting in the formation of a new company I.M. MAPS (UK) Ltd which will take the reigns. This is reassuring news for existing Mitsubishi owners. NISSAN OPENS 400 JOB POSITIONS IN SUNDERLANDNissan has announced there will be 400 positions, in the manufacturing team, opening up at Sunderland to help build the new Qashqai and Leaf. This will be a mix of agency and permanent employees. To read more, click here for the BBC News article. RIVERSIMPLE HITS FUNDING TARGETRiversimple, the hydrogen car manufacturer, has hit their target of £1.5 million they needed to roll out customer trialling of their cars. Angle investors have pitched in and HMRC has agreed they meet the criteria for tax breaks that is advantageous to investors. To read more, click the Business News Wales article here. PROBE INTO EV CHARGING The Competitions and Markets Authority, is the latest to announce they are investigating the UK’s EV charging business. One aim is to make charging as easy as buying diesel or petrol. Another key area of investigation is the near monopoly Ecotricity (now Electric Highway) has with motorway charging facilities. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. SHELL TO CHARGE UP WAITROSEShell has announced it will be installing 800 charging points at Waitrose supermarkets across the country. This will be a mix of 22kWh and 50kWh. The project is expected to be completed by 2025. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. TESLA TO OPEN SUPERCHARGER NETWORK TO OTHERSMusk has announced that Tesla will open up the Supercharger network to non Tesla EVs soon. Whilst this sounds great, there are some expressing scepticism with how many will actually be able to take advantage due to charger set up and connector options. Added to this, some Tesla owners have voiced their anger at what they saw was an exclusive part of being a Tesla owner. To read more, click the Autocar article here. HIGHWAYS ENGLAND TO REDUCE MOTORWAY SPEEDS FOR NOXHighways England, working with the Joint Air Quality Unit, will monitor sections of the road network, which if they exceed safe air quality levels, will then be slowed down to reduce emissions. Other aspects, such as traffic management and congestion reduction will be used. However, this is another sticking plaster solution to a problem that requires more than Level 1 thinking. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. DVLA OLIVE...
Ghosn Watch It - 20 July 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW APPEALS DUTCH CLASS-ACTION RULINGVolkswagen has appealed a Dutch court ruling that gave compensation to owners of new and second-hand VW Group cars that were fitted with defeat device software. VW is adamant that the owners have suffered no financial loss in owning a car judged to have been fitted with the naughty software. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here. FOLLOW UP: GHOSN ESCAPE TEAM SENTENCED IN JAPANFather and son, Michael and Phillip Taylor, have been sentenced by a Japanese court to two years and one year eight months respectively. They had previously admitted their guilt and expressed their regret in their actions. To read more, click here for the BBC News article. MCLAREN RECEIVES CASH INJECTIONMcLaren has announced that it has received an injection of £550 million from current and new investors, which will be mainly used to push their electrification plans forward. To read more, click the Autocar article here. STELLANTIS ANNOUNCED AGENCY SHIFT TO DEALERSHIPSStellantis announced a “consultation”, which seems to be stretching definitions, by informing their franchise dealerships that it will be moving to an ‘agency-style’ retail model. The existing dealerships will be categorised A, B or C, with A remaining, B having to have a long chat with them and C being booted out. Only time will tell if they go down a big franchise or smaller, more independent, dealership route. To read more, click this link here from AM Online. PARIS MOTOR SHOW RETURNS IN 2022The Paris Motor Show will return in 2022, with new partner Equip Auto, the trade equivalent, after a four year absence. The question will be how many manufacturers turn up. To find out more, click the Autocar link here. GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS TO REASSURE MOTORISTSGrant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, has moved to reassure motorists that the Government is not anti-car or demonising drivers. However, they want us to use transport that does not harm the environment or people’s health. Added to this, classic car owners were told that they will be able to use their vehicles for years to come, with no plans to ban them from the road. To read more, click firstly here for the YesAuto article and then click here for the second article which is from Hagerty. EU PROPOSED BAN ON ALL NON ZERO-EMISSION CARS FROM 2035A proposal has been put forward for the EU to ban...
Special Edition - Hyundai Tucson Ultimate Review
Both Alan and Andrew each had a Hyundai Tucson Ultimate Hybrid, for a week. Listen to them explain the multi-dimensional problem that is the spec and option choices, their thoughts on the changes to design both inside and out, as well as if their opinions aligned. Oh, as special congratulations to Hyundai on the deployment of the highest number of acronyms in a car spec, the Motoring Podcast have tried yet!
Before Alan Falls Asleep - 13 July 2021
FOLLOW UP: EU FINES BMW AND VW BUT NOT DAIMLERFollowing the whistleblowing move from Daimler, informing the EU of a technology cartel dating back to the 90s, involving Daimler, BMW and VW Group, which we mentioned in Ep 248 My Turn With The Shovel, fines of $1 billion have been levelled at BMW and VW Group. Daimler does not pay anything due to them being the whistleblower. To read more, click this TechCrunch article here. STELLANTIS ANNOUNCE EV STRATEGYStellantis has announced the electric strategy for their brands, including Opel/Vauxhall, which will be electric only from 2028. To read more about what is planned and the amount of money being invested click the Autocar article here. Added to this, mission statements were assigned to each brand. Some appear to have been decided by committees, whilst others seem more successful. Click the Motor1 tweet showing them all, here. GERMAN CLASS-ACTION EMISSIONS CASE AGAINST MERCEDESMercedes-Benz have been filed a class-action case with regards to emission altering technology in their OM651 engines, installed in the GLK and GLC models. Mercedes strongly refute the claim. To read more, click the Autocar article here. NEW BUGATTI AND RIMAC JOINT VENTURERimac will own 55%, with Porsche owning 45%, of the new joint venture Bugatti-Rimac, which is hoped will utilise the engineering prowess of Bugatti and the technology of Rimac to move the brand forward for the future. To read more, click the YesAuto article 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 PODCAST——————————————————————————-SMMT TEST DAY 2021Alan went to the twice delayed SMMT Test Day, on July 13 2021, where he met many people, which was lovely, and tried many cars, which was also lovely. The list of cars he tried are as follows;LEVC TaxiFIAT 500e ActiveCupra Formentor PHEVMINI Cooper John Cooper Works GPFord Kuga ST-Line PHEVPorsche Taycan TurboMG ZS EVToyota Supra GR 2.0AND FINALLY: HOW TO REALLY MAKE MONEY WITH AV CARSThe...
Special Edition - Lexus LC500h Review
Andrew, after years of wearing the people at Lexus down, was loaned a LC500h, to try for a week. Have listen to find out if it lived up to his hopes and what he thought of the car.
Anger As Consumer Advice - 6 July 2021
FOLLOW UP: SECOND UK-BASED VW EMISSIONS CLAIM LAUNCHEDThe legal firm, Leigh Day, has launched a second emissions claim against Volkswagen, this time connected with the fix. They are claiming that VW “covertly made fundamental changes to affected vehicles” by altering other engine types that were not part of the #dieselgate outcry. Volkswagen responded that they have not been informed of such action and believe such claims to be without merit. To read more, click the Autocar article here. FOLLOW UP: JLR TO FOCUS ON RELIABILITY ISSUESAfter last week’s show, where the chaps discussed what they saw as holding Jaguar Land Rover back, which wasn’t the designs, Thierry Bolloré announced that they would be solving the company’s reliability and build quality issues. To read more, whilst the chaps wait for their consulting fee to arrive from the firm, click the Autocar article here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR JUNE 2021The June registration figures are up on last year, as expected, but they are not at the levels of 2019, with much talk about constrained supply chains. The Tesla Model 3 was topped the charts for the most registered. To find out more, click the SMMT link here. SUNDERLAND TO BE NISSAN’S EV HUBSunderland has been selected as Nissan’s EV Hub, following investment from both the company and the UK Government, to secure the site’s future. To read more about this news, click the Nissan press release here. As additional information, click Pernile Rudlin’s twitter thread explaining the deal here. Thanks to the decision the UK has made, about it’s position in the global market, there is now a rush for more battery factories, which you can read more about by clicking the Guardian’s link here. ELLESMERE PORT PLANT SAVEDStellantis has confirmed that it will invest in the Ellesmere Port Vauxhall plant, so that it can make small commercial EVs. This will be the first electric vehicle only plant in the Group. To read more, click the Autocar article here. PORSCHE RECALLING TAYCAN OVER SOFTWARE GLITCHPorsche are recalling around 45,000 Taycan cars over a software bug that can cause the vehicle to cut power and get a warning notification to pull over. 135 cars have suffered from this error, which can be sorted by a reboot. To read more, click the EVO article here. SHELL OPENS 10MW HYDROGEN ELECTROLYSIS PLANTNear Wesseling,...
Some Blue Whales Wide - 29 June 2021
FOLLOW UP: GREATER MANCHESTER CAZ STARTS IN MAY 2022The Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone has been confirmed as starting from May 2022. To find out more, including a reminder of the vehicle classes covered, click the Motoring Research article here. DVLA STRUGGLING TO DEAL WITH CUSTOMERSAn ever increasing volume in the complaints about the lack of service from the DVLA is occurring. Added to the pressures, staff are taking industrial action over unsafe working conditions. To read more about the problems customers are facing, click The Guardian article here. FRESH JAGUAR STRATEGY SIGNED OFFThierry Bolloré has signed of the new strategy for Jaguar, with the aim being to position it similar to Range Rover in the SUV market, but with cars. This is an ambitious plan, to get people to pay more than they do for their BMW, Audi or Mercedes, as well as be seen as above them but not quite at Porsche and Aston Martin levels. To read more, click here for the article from Autocar. POTHOLES COST COUNCILS £8 MILLION A YEARFollowing a FOI request, we have learned that councils spent £8 million in costs associated with potholes in 2020, when most of the country was not allowed to drive for vast amounts of time. The cost of repairing a pothole varies across the country and so does the compensation to rivers who have been injured as a result and had their vehicles damaged. To read more, click the YesAuto article here. WELSH GOVERNMENT STOPS ALL NEW ROAD BUILDINGThe Welsh Government announced that it will be halting all plans to build new roads, due to the environmental impact their construction and use will cause. Instead money will be spent on improving existing roads and being used for active travel and public transport projects. To read more about this, click here for the Motoring Research article. HYUNDAI TRIALLING HYDROGEN BUSES IN GERMANYIn Germany Hyundai will be using their hydrogen buses as part of a pilot to test out the viability of such transport in an urban environment. To read more, click here for the YesAuto article. STELLANTIS SIGNS ARMED FORCES COVENANTStellantis have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, where they agree to train, assist armed forces members and their families as they transition to civilian life. Another cracking effort by Mission Motorsport to help companies become aware of the valuble asset ex-armed forces personnel are. To read more, click this link for the CarDealer article. ——————————————————————————-
Special Edition - Classic.Retro.Modern
Alan was joined by Ian Robertson and Richard Dredge of new magazine Classic.Retro.Modern to talk about what makes their new magazine stand out from its competition.You’ll be able to buy the first issue from newsstands on 1st July, 2021 but to find out more about the magazine and other ways to get it digitally or on subscription, go to the website and keep up to date by following the magazine on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and subscribing to their YouTube Channel.
Not Angry Just Disappointed - 22 June 2021
FOLLOW UP: GOVERNMENT STARTS E10 PUBLICITY CAMPAIGNWith the new E10 fuel being rolled-out across forecourts, from September, the Government has realised it had better tell the public it is happening and why it is a good thing. To find out more, click the Motoring Research article here. ASTON MARTIN SUES INVESTORSA deal penned by the previous management team, according to the current owners of Aston Martin, meant that Nebula Project AG, in return for providing funding for the Valkarie project, could take a percentage cut of any deposits placed, that they had secured. Aston Martin allege that they are owed £10 million as a result. They have started legal proceedings and asked for a criminal investigation into two of the former directors of Nebula. To read more, click the Autocar article here. GOVERNMENT AWARDS FUNDING TO VARIOUS EV PROJECTSThe latest round of funding has been awarded, by the Government, to companies and projects that are both innovative and practical. For example, the OX project, where they are developing a solar powered refrigeration capability to their OX vehicle but that reduces the impact on the electric range has won. There are several other equally clever winners who are tackling a specific issue. To read more, click the Autocar article here. MADRID GOES HYDROGEN FOR TAXISIn a concerted effort to clean up the air of Madrid the various stakeholders have pulled together and produced a plan to replace ICE taxis with Hydrogen ones by 2025. They are talking about 1000 of them too! To read more, click the Fuel Cell Works article here. GREATER MANCHESTER MAYORAL CANDIDATES FIGHT OVER CLEAN AIRThe Greater Manchester area is one of those who the Government has demanded take action over the quality of their air. The current proposal is for the entire region to implement a Clean Air Zone similar to Bath, that targets only commercial vehicles, taxis and buses. The subject is being hotly fought over in the campaigning for the Greater Manchester Mayor elections. To read more, click here for the Manchester Evening News article. RENAULT REVEALS THREE URBAN EV CONCEPTSRenault, via their Mobilize brand, have seemingly fully embraced the electric and mobility focused future. They have revealed three urban focused EVs that are proposals for car-sharing and last mile deliveries. There is some interesting thinking going on in Renault and it has prompted the chaps to realise there isn’t a one-size fits all solution to the type of vehicle that will be dominant, as there is right now. We are all going to need help shifting our mindset to select the most appropriate transport for the task we wish to achieve. To read more, click the YesAuto article here. AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ‘SIGHT’ CAN BE...
Special Edition - Ford Focus ST-Line X Review
Alan spent a week with the Ford Focus in sporty ST-Line X trim with a 155PS mild-hybrid drivetrain. Does the addition of new technology help or hinder the legendary Focus driving experience?
S T O P That - 15 June 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW REPAID BY EXECUTIVESVolkswagen has now confirmed the story that former executives of the Group will repay around $351 million as a result of the #dieselgate debacle. This does show we were right to mock the excuses of ‘rogue engineers’ or “software issues’ that were initially used. To read more about this, click here for the Automotive News Europe article. GRIDSERVE BUYS ECOTRICITYAs ticker tape falls from the sky, EV owners across the country rejoice at the news that Ecotricity has been sold, with Gridserve increasing their 25% stake to full ownership. Ecotricity, ironically, has probably done more to hold back EV adoption in the country than anything else, thanks to the unreliable network across the motorway system. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. FERRARI NAMES NEW CEOBenedetto Vigna has been named the new CEO of Ferrari. He moves from ST Microelectronics to take over the helm. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. FRANCE CHARGES MANY OVER EMISSIONSPeugeot is the latest brand to be charged by French authorities over consumer fraud relating to emissions. Renault has been previously charged with test manipulation, Citroën and FCA are also expected to be in trouble. To read more, click the Reuters article here. PORSCHE INVESTIGATED BY GERMAN CAR AUTHORITYPorsche, following a voluntary submission of information, is being investigated by the KBA, in Germany, over inconsistent declaration of fuel consumption of their petrol engined cars. Porsche seem to think, if they have incorrectly stated consumption figures it is on less than 1% of their fleet. To read more, click the Yahoo Finance article here. ASA BANS HYUNDAI ADVERTThe Advertising Standards Agency has banned Hyundai’s hydrogen Nexo adverts from stating ‘its so clean it purifies the air’, as the car does cause emissions in the form of brake and tyre particulates. The chaps wade in on the silliness of the ruling but now expect anyone stating cycling is clean to be equally rebuked in an equally daft manner. To read more, click here for the Motoring Research article. OXFORD LTN MAP INFO GAFFOxford County Council have caused Google Maps and TomTom to show a large number of roads closed to vehicles until March 2022, after uploading information regarding their new Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. There is much mention of ‘glitches’ and the likes, but it would appear to be a ‘user input error’. To read more, click the BBC
Communist Motoring News - 8 June 2021
MAY 2021 SMMT NEW CAR REGISTRATIONSAs it is the beginning of the month, that means the chaps can run through the New Car Registration figures for May 2021. Due to the lockdown situation last year, the figures this year were always going to be better. Even so, there are some outstanding percentage increases. To find out more, click here for the SMMT article. FIAT GO ELECTRIC ONLY FROM 2030During a discussion about future mobility and urban areas, FIAT CEO Olivier Francois, stated that the brand would be all electric in 2030, starting the phasing out process from 2025. They are the latest bowing to the inevitable thanks to regulatory changes across the globe. To read more, click here for the Yes Auto article. BUS DEPOT GOING ALL ELECTRICThe First Bus depot in Glasgow is aiming to be the largest electric charging hub, in the country, once it finishes installing the required charging points for an all electric fleet of local buses. Public transport moving to zero emissions is vital if we are to clean up the air we breathe, as the bus strike in London a few years ago showed, as well as the pandemic. To read more, click the BBC News article here. LONDON ULEZ CHECKER CAUSES CLASSIC CONFUSIONThose with MOT and VED exempt classic cars are finding that the Transport for London ULEZ checker is incorrectly stating their cars need to pay to enter the areas it covers. TfL has stated that they ill be making amendments to their system, but are unable to declare when that will be completed. To read more, click here for the Hagerty story. GENEVA MOTOR SHOW ON THE 2022 CALENDARThe new organisation running the Geneva Motor Show has confirmed it will be back in 2022, albeit in an improved format. Hoteliers have been the quickest to respond to that, cancelling bookings and putting the rooms available at twice the price, which is nice of them. There are scant details on how the event will be better, nor of any exhibitors yet. To find out more, click the Autocar story here. FUEL PRICES RISE AGAINFor the seventh month in a row, the price of petrol and diesel has risen. This time, price rises are out of step with the wholesale cost, as that is dropping. To read more, click the Motoring Research article 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...
Special Edition - 4 Roads and The Future of Car Buying
Alan invited James Browne of digital agency 4 Roads on to explain their view on the multi-channel future of new car buying.To find out more about 4 Roads you can visit their website.
World's Most Expensive Picnic Basket - 1 June 2021
This week Andrew’s away, so Alan is joined instead by Alex Grant.FOLLOW UP: WINTERKORN TO PAY DAMAGES TO VWThe ex-Volkswagen Group CEO, Martin Winterkorn is to pay €10 million in damages to Volkswagen. You can read more from Business Insider here.FOLLOW UP: GHOSN APPEALS AND INVESTORS SUE NISSANAs Andrew predicted last week, Carlos Ghosn is appealing the rejection of his wrongful dismissal case in the Netherlands. Also, overseas investors are suing Nissan for the share price plunge after Ghosn’s arrest. More here from Just Auto.FOLLOW UP: DAIMLER TO PAY NOKIA PATENT FEESDaimler has settled its patent licensing fight with Nokia, joining other manufacturers in paying the fees. More from Auto News Europe here.BIRMINGHAM CLEAN AIR ZONE INTRODUCEDThe Birmingham Clean Air Zone was introduced on 1st June, but with a “soft launch” meaning that nobody will be charged until 14th June because of issues with the payment systems. More from Autocar here.NISSAN GIGAFACTORYThe Financial Times has broken the news that Nissan is in talks to build a huge EV battery factory at its Sunderland site, joining the recently announce Britishvolt facility nearby. The BBC story is here.MPs ASK ABOUT EV BUYING CHOICESIn a very brief survey, linked here, the Transport Committee are looking to find out what would make you buy and electric car. Be very quick though as the survey ends on 2nd June. The full story from Motoring Research is here.UK ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING INDUSTRY AVOIDS PROBEThe results of a study into the UK public charging infrastructure by the Competition and Markets Authority has ended, concluding that while there are issues then they have ways to deal with them. Read more here.NUMBER OF CAR THEFTS FALL IN 2020In a story that will surprise nobody, the number of car thefts fell significantly in 2020. A separate study also showed that keyless car theft accounted for 93% of stolen cars last year. You can read more here.
Pretty Much Rightish - 25 May 2021
FOLLOW UP: GHOSN ORDERED TO PAY BACK MONEYIn a shock, for Carlos Ghosn, instead of winning a case where he sought €15 million for unfair dismissal from a Dutch registered Nissan/Mitsubishi joint venture, he lost and has been ordered to pay back the €5 million he got through the entity. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here. OFGEM TO INVEST £300M IN CHARGING NETWORKOfgem has announced how it will be investing £300 million into the network infrastructure to allow for rapid and ultra rapid charger installations across the motorway networks, as well as more remote areas. To read more, click the GreenFleet article here. CARS ON ROAD OLDEST ON RECORDThere are now more older cars on the road, since records recorded such data. The average age is 8.4 years, with nearly 10 million being 13 years and older. To find out more about the reasons, click the Motoring Research article here. A companion piece is from Autocar, explaining why there is such a demand for used cars, by buyers. Click here for that link. FORD PATENTS BEAMING ADS TO INFOTAINMENT SYSTEMSFord has applied for a patent on technology that would beam specific details from billboards, to the infotainment screens within cars. This has caused a bit of a stir, but it must be remembered it is only a patent and may not even be for vehicles that require a human driver to be in charge of the vehicle. More detail is required before the chaps at the Motoring Podcast grab their pitchforks and flaming torches, even Andrew says this. To read more, click the Interesting Engineering article here. MERCEDES SOFTWARE BUGS FOUNDTencent Security has disclosed information on software bugs they found in the Mercedes-Benz User Experience infotainment system. To be clear at no point were the researchers able to access any of the aspects of the vehicles that were any part of the driving element. Mercedes has started to roll out a patch for this, where they are contacting customers. To read more, click the Security Week article 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 PODCAST——————————————————————————-WRC RALLY PORTUGALAnother action packed thrill ride in WRC, unfortunately for Hyundai, apart from Sordo, it was not a good event. Toyota were the main beneficiaries, with Elfyn Evans capitalising
Special Edition - 400th Episode Celebration
In a rare moment of self indulgence, Alan and Andrew held a livestream to celebrate reaching the 400th episode of the Motoring Podcast. They chat through how and why they started, how they’ve continued to try and improve and their plans for the future. Prizes are given away throughout the show and they round it all out by thanking all of the people who have listened, helped and supported them along the way.