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)
Hugely Incompetent - 18 May 2021
FOLLOW UP: TOYOTA OFFERS FREE CATALYTIC CONVERTOR PROTECTIONLast week, the chaps talked about the police operation to recover stolen catalytic convertors. Toyota has announced it is offering a marking scheme to aid owners of older Toyota vehicles. Free of charge they will mark the convertors so they can be tracked if they are stolen. To read more, click the National World article here. INTERNATIONAL MOTORS LTD TAKES OVER MITSUBISHI AFTER-SALESInternational Motors Ltd, part of the IM Group who are official importers of Subaru and Isuzu, have agreed a deal with Mitsubishi Motors to take over the after-sales business following the end to the new vehicle sales part of the business. To read more, click the AM article here. LONDON ULEZ WILL EXPANDFollowing the re-election of Sadiq Khan, as Mayor of London, he has confirmed that the ULEZ will expand in October, as planned, as this is a key part of the project to clean up the capital’s air. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. UNDERSERVED KENT AREAS BEING PRIORITISED BY EV CHARGING COMPANYConnected Kerb is working on adding EV charging points to poorly served areas of Kent, in a bid to help bolster the charging network of the county. To read more, click the Autocar article here. MANCHESTER COUNCIL REVEALS REGISTRATION PLATES IN GAFFIn an attempt at transparency, Manchester Council released information regarding which parking wardens had issued tickets. Unfortunately, they forgot to omit the registration, and therefore personally identifying details of the penalties, between April and June 2020. We have long said we fear incompetence more than nefarious actions most when it comes to data. To read more, click The Register article here. _____________________________________________Announcement: Last week we invited you to join us for a live stream of the recording of our 400th episode on Wednesday 19 May at 8:30pm BST. During the show we will, like an automotive podcasting Ant and Dec, be giving away some great prizes thanks to the support of some generous companies.In order to be in with a shout of grabbing one of the prizes we need you to go to our website, hit the Contact section at the top of the home page enter your name, email address and the phrase "Please Can I Win?" into the Subject line so we can add your name to the draw. You need to have done this by 8pm BST on Wednesday 19th May. Click this link here to go directly there!...
Special Edition - Ford Fiesta ST Line Review
Alan spent a week with the ubiquitous Ford Fiesta. In this case, it’s a mild-hybrid, 1.0 ST-Line that took temporary residence in his driveway. Does the Fiesta still deserve its sales success?
Entering the Traffic Zone - 11 May 2021
APRIL 2021 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESThere have been some attention grabbing headlines written, which seem to forget that whilst the year-on-year comparison stats are dramatically up on last year, we were all locked in our houses 12 months ago. Against the 10 year average the number of new car registrations are still down. To read more, click the SMMT article here. FORD AND NHS TRIALLING VACCINE TRANSITA specially converted Ford Transit is being trialled by the NHS to take the Covid vaccines out to the community. There are fitted with temperature controlled fridges, folding seats and other equipment to administer the injections. Hopefully this works, as it will help get the vaccine to everyone, especially those who cannot travel to the centres that have been set up to administer them. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. ROAD AND RAIL INVESTMENT BEING REEVALUATED In a move that should be unexpected to everyone, the Government is reevaluating the transport infrastructure spending plans. The supposedly reduced numbers commuting is one reason given, but mainly this will be because every budget across the Government, whether central or local, will be inspected closely due to a lack of cash. To read more, click the BBC News article here. POLICE FIND OVER A THOUSAND CATALYTIC CONVERTERS In a large operation police over a thousand catalytic converters were recovered with over 50 people being arrested. There has been a rise in thefts from cars due to the increase in price for rare metals. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. PETROL PRICES KEEP CLIMBINGThe RAC has revealed that we are on a run of six months of continued price rise in fuel prices. This is expected to continue over the summer, where there will be an increase in demand, along with supplying nations capping production. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. EV CHARGING POINTS HACKEDA Chinese Security research team has demonstrated gaining access to a car, via the CANBus, from an EV charging station. They were able to alter the rate of charge, avoid paying and sending messages. To read more, click The Register article here. FRENCH VILLAGE AIMING TO THWART WAZEIn a bid to stop Waze re-routing congested traffic away from hold ups on the local main roads and through their village, residents added a sign, essentially saying ‘access only’ which was communicated back to the app, which meant the algorithm no longer used that diversion. We applaud that clever way of altering behaviour. To read more,
Special Edition - BMW M440i xDrive Review
Alan spent a week with one of the most divisive vehicles to have been launched in the last year, the BMW M440i X-Drive. Find out how he got on and just what he thought of “that” grille.
Daft Plan - 4 May 2021
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT CONFUSES INDUSTRYThe Government announced that there could be “self-driving” cars on the road towards the end of the year. This caused a lot of confusion because the driver assistance technology they were mentioning is not, nor ever will be, ‘self-driving’ as it is Automated Lane Keeping Systems. These are going to be only allowed to move a car up to 37mph, whilst keeping it in a lane of the motorway, with the driver able to remove hands and feet from the controls but still paying attention to the road and surroundings. To read more, click the Top Gear article here. TOYODA GOSEI SHUTTING DOWN UK OPERATIONToyoda Gosei, which is part of the Toyota Group, has announced they will be closing their production facilities in the UK. This will lead to the loss of 458 jobs, which the company is blaming on “a significant reduction in key UK customer demand”. They supply Toyota, Honda and Nissan in this country. To read more, click the Autocar article here. DIESS LEAVES SEAT AND SKODA BOARDSVolkswagen Group CEO, Herbert Diess, is leaving the supervisory boards of SEAT and Skoda, to allow more focus on the software division. VW has struggled with their new software, both in terms of deploying and the quality of it. SEAT and Skoda are now worried their voices will not be heard as much by the Group Board. Only time will tell if the move helps the software and reduces those brand’s influence. To read more, click the Autocar article here. MOTO OPENS LARGE MOTORWAY EV CHARGING SERVICESMoto has opened a new service area, on the M6 at Junction 1, which will have 24 ultra-rapid chargers, split between Tesla and open market charging. This is another step on their move to upgrade service areas with the latest charging technology. To read more, click the ZapMap article here. SUBARU EXPANDS IN UKSubaru is expanding their dealership network, in 2021, having added four new franchises in the first part of the year and expect a further 10 to be added by the summer. We, on the show, had been worried for Subaru, especially after the plan to pre-register cars backfired last year. To read more, click the Business Leader article here. GENESIS ANNOUNCE UK LAUNCHLater this year, Genesis will come to the UK, Germany and Switzerland. They will be bringing an aggressive model launch strategy for the first 12 to 24 months following their arrival. To read more, click the Autocar article here.
Special Edition - The Intercooler with Dan Prosser
Alan was joined by Dan Prosser of The Intercooler to talk about the new digital car-based magazine he’s founded with Andrew Frankel.You can find out more about The Intercooler by visiting their website, following on Twitter and Instagram or by downloading their app for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Not Half-Bottomed - 27 April 2021
FOLLOW UP: CHIP SHORTAGE HITTING MANUFACTURERS HARDSeveral manufacturers have now openly discussed the challenges of the current semi-conductor chip shortage and how that will effect their factories. To get a round up of who is currently feeling the effects, click the Autocar article here. FOLLOW UP: MCLAREN SELLS HEADQUARTERSMcLaren has found a buyer for it’s Woking headquarters, but at £170 million rather than the £200 million they were seeking. To read about the details of the agreement, click here for the Autocar article. TOKYO MOTOR SHOW CANCELLEDThe 2021 Tokyo Motor Show has been cancelled for the first time in it’s history, by organisers, due to the ongoing risks of the pandemic. They intend to return as a live event but be rebranded and include all aspects of mobility. To read more, click the Autocar article here. V2V COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL AGREED IN JAPANToyota, Suzuki, Daihatsu, Subaru and Mazda have reached an agreement to use a standardised vehicle data communication system and technical details for the next generation of connected cars. Each manufacturer will maintain and develop their own user interfaces and apps but the technical and behind the scenes technology will be the same. To read more, click the Mazda press release here. HONDA ANNOUNCES NEW STRATEGYHonda has announced that it will no longer sell combustion engines, globally, from 2040. This is part of a huge investment into becoming carbon neutral by 2050. To read more about what this will mean, click here for the Autocar article. FRANCE TO BAN APPS FROM WARNING OF POLICE LOCATIONSComing later this year, there will be a ban in France that will mean apps can no longer inform the public of the location of police roadblocks and checks connected with terrorism, drink and drug driving. To read more, click The Connexion article here. THE MARKET IS BOUGHT BY BONHAM’SThe online car auction service, The Market, has been bought by Bonham’s, the classic car auction house. The idea is that The Market will continue as it has but now there is access to the Bonham customer base. To read more, click the Classic and Sportscar article here. NEW NEW CAR NEWSHonda HR-V -
Rhymes and Everything - 20 April 2021
CHIP SHORTAGE TO LAST INTO 2023The automotive chip shortage is expected to last into late 2022 and even 2023 according to some semi conductor manufacturers. This will add pressure to OEMs already trying to recover from a year of lockdowns across global markets. To read more, click The Register article here. There is some good news, though, with the Japanese factory that was damaged in a fire is expected to be back at full capacity by the middle of May. To read about the remarkable recovery, click here for The Registry article. RICHARD PARRY-JONES HAS PASSED AWAYFollowing a tragic accident on his farm, Richard Parry-Jones has passed away. He was the man heralded as turning modern Fords into enjoyable, fun driving cars rather than just cost-conscious boxes. Many throughout the industry have shared stories and their deep admiration and respect of both what he achieved and who he was as a person. To read more, click the TopGear article here. NEW NEW CAR NEWSDue to the Shanghai Motor Show taking place this week and that being the first mass gathering of manufactuers, in the world, for over a year, news is thing on the ground. This week we’ve moved the New New Car News segment to the first part of the show, as a result. DS 9 - DS announced their new flagship model, the DS 9, a premium saloon, which has a very DS interior that the chaps are all excited to see. The external looks are less dramatic but still handsome. However, they do wonder who in the UK may buy such a car. To read more about it, click the Automotive Management article here. Toyota bZ4X Concept - Toyota has revealed their first every purely battery electric concept, which is a sporty looking SUV, that shows it is different whilst still obviously a Toyota. The driver is in for a real treat in this thinly disguised production ready model, as they has a new design wheel, drive-by-wire system and display binnacle. To read more, click here for the Toyota press release. Nissan X-TRAIL - The next generation X-TRAIL has been revealed by Nissan. Externally it continues the brand design language that we’ve seen on the latest Juke and Quashqai. The X-TRAIL will take advantage of the clever e-POWER system, that has the petrol engine charging a battery, when needed, which powers the electric motors to drive the car. To read more, click the Nissan press release here. Audi A6 e-tron Concept - Audi has revealed their latest...
Special Edition - Car & Classic with Chris Pollitt
Alan was joined by Chris Pollitt, Head of Editorial at online marketplace Car & Classic, to chat about buying and selling classic cars.You can find out more about Car & Classic, browse vehicles for sale, find out how to sell your own vehicle and find editorial outlets via their website linked here.You can find out more about Chris’s background in his Rear View chat with Andrew. You can follow him on Twitter here.
Taking A Fence - 13 April 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW TO PAY INTEREST ON DIESELGATE LOANSVolkswagen will have to pay the interest on a car loans taken out by customers who bought cars affected by defeat devices. The German judge was quite specific on the ruling, which has left no room for appeal. To read more, click the Automotive News article here. WORLD CAR PERSON OF THE YEARThe boss of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, has won the World Car Person of the Year Award. In typically humble fashion, he feels it is the result of the hard work of the Toyota Team, rather than him specifically. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. VAUXHALL RULED AS BRITISHA number of people, who were clearly very bored, have complained to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), over the claim by Vauxhall that it has been a “British Brand since 1903”. Those with nothing else to do, cited the ownership by GM and now Stellantis, both of whom are foreign companies, to show they were no longer British. The ASA agreed with Vauxhall’s response that it only sells to the United Kingdom. To read more, click the Automotive Management article here. CITY CENTRIC THINKINGThere were two articles this week, that were based on urban dwellers, but are part of a worrying trend in the discussions over the future of transportation and mobility, seemingly ignoring those outside of towns and cities. Added to this, the analysis and ‘research’ by organisations releasing the ‘news’ to the media is flawed and suspect. The first was about SUVs and how they should be banned, you can read and mock the BBC News article here. Fortunately, the RAC spokesperson talks sense in that piece. The second is a survey, which we cannot see the questions asked, that shows city dwellers want new ICE vehicles banned from 2030. Again, the organisation this info comes from is one whose findings we have routinely questioned. Added to this, we all know we can get surveys to say whatever we want them to, if you try hard enough. To read that article, click the Automotive News Europe article here. CAR MUSEUMS AND EVENTS GET GOVERNMENT GRANTSThe Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Culture Recovery Fund has been successfully applied for by five organisations and events, from the motoring world. Notably the Coventry MotoFest is getting help, along with the Association of Heritage Engineers. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. To listen to Alan chat with Dominic Taylor-Lane from the Association of Heritage Engineers, click here for that Special Edition.
Wider Berth of Bath - 6 April 2021
NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES MARCH 2021We will now start seeing the effect of national lockdowns on the annual comparison figures, which is why many of the headlines abut March’s figures were quite silly. Due to the difference in the lockdown restrictions, the monthly numbers were up on last year. To read more, click here for the SMMT article and data. As ever, we also include a link to Tristan Young’s tweets on the figures and type of fuel used, to see that data click here. CATERHAM FIND JAPANESE BUYERCaterham has been bought by their Japanese importer, VT Holdings, with a commitment to continuing the Seven model, in line with legislation. As for future development of the brand there is no news yet available. To read more, click the Autocar article here. CYBER SECURITY TYPE APPROVAL TO BE REQUIREDWith cars becoming more connected to the internet, than ever before, manufacturers will be required to go through type approval for their cyber security efforts. They must protect the vehicle for it’s entire lifecycle, according to the regulations. To read more, click the Autocar article here. GOOGLE MAPS TO INDICATE MOST ECONOMICAL ROUTEStarting in the US, Google Maps will show the most economical route for a car to take, as part of the options. Along with this, new information such as Clean Air Zones will also be indicated. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. However, the inherent issues with digital route services was highlighted on this news, to find out more click here for the Ben Wagner Twitter thread explaining what is the problem with such services. _____________________________________________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——————————————————————————-FORMULA E: ROME EPRIX STILL ONThe lead up to the Rome ePrix has been very quiet, for a change, and will still be taking place even though Italy is going into a stricter lockdown. To find out how you can watch the races where you are, click the link here. NEW CAR NEWSWelcome to the new, regular, segment about new cars. Up to now the podcast has avoided mentioning new car news on the weekly show, saving it up for Special Editions. However, this gap in our curation has now been closed and we will discuss the most interesting, influential and important new car information...
Piece of Cake - 30 March 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW SEEKS DAMAGES FROM FORMER EMPLOYEESFollowing the conclusion of the independent internal investigation into the dieselgate situation, Volkswagen Group has released a statement where they announce they will be seeking damages from former employees, for failing in their ‘duty of care’ for the company. To read more, click the Car Dealer article here. HONDA FINDS BUYER FOR SWINDON PLANTHonda will stop production of the Civic in July, thus ending their time in the UK. Panttoni, a logisitcs and industrial site developer, has confirmed it will be investing heavily in redeveloping the site. They should take ownership from early 2022, after Honda has finished decommissioning equipment. To read more, click the Autocar article here. RIMAC OPENS R&D CENTRE IN UKRimac, has opened a new Research and Development Centre in Warwick Enterprise Park, at the company edges closer to the launch of their new hypercar, the C_Two. To read more, click the Autocar article here. UK AV AND EV ACT PARTIALLY COMES INTO FORCEPart of The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, comes into force from 21 April 2021. To find out exactly what is covered, click the link here. To run through the full act, click the link here. CAR INDUSTRY UNHAPPY AT GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR EV PUSHThe car industry, at an online event held by SMMT, expressed anger and disappointment at how the Government was helping industry encourage the public to go for electric vehicles, ahead of the 2030 deadline. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. PROPOSALS FOR OVER-70 DRIVERSOver the last decade, the number of deaths attributable to drivers over 70 years old has risen from 96 to 145 a year. This has prompted the DVLA and Driving Mobility to put forward proposals to increase the safety of older drivers, especially as more are living longer. Some of the ideas include forbidding them from driving at night, being limited to 20 or 30 miles from their home address and fitting their cars with black boxes to monitor compliance. But, this could be seen as enabling people with some conditions to ability to still be mobile, but in a restricted manner, whereas now they would just be banned. 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
The 39 Steps - 23 March 2021
PLUG-IN GRANT REDUCED OVERNIGHT BY GOVERNMENTThe Government announced, with immediate effect, the reduction in the plug-in grant they were making available for cars with a price up to £50,000. Not only has the grant amount been reduced from £3,000 to £2,500 but also the eligibility price is cut to a maximum of £35,000. There was much howling at the timing, immediacy and depth of cut. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. As a counter to this FleetWorld has an opinion piece giving some explainers as to why the Government has made some of the decisions it has. To read that, click the link here. To find out which cars are affected, click the Autocar article here. To read about Citroën tackling the issue with their e-C4, click the ZapMap article here. COMPUTER CHIP SHORTAGE HURTING CAR INDUSTRYThe global shortage of computer chips was already impacting the global car industry, however this situation has been made worse by a fire at one of the main production plants, in Japan. But this points to a concern for manufacturers, as this could be a dry run for battery issues as Europe and the UK build up their local production capability. Secure supply chains are vital. 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——————————————————————————-SABINE SCHMITZ PASSES AWAY AFTER ILLNESSWe, along with most of the motoring world, were stunned at the news of Sabine Schmitz’s death last week. She passed away after a long battle with cancer. The Motoring Podcast would like to offer their condolences to all her family and friends. To read more about Sabine click the BBC article here. Chris Harris has also written about his friend, which you can read by clicking here. LUNCHTIME READ: THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERYFriend of the Show, Nir Kahn, wrote about plagiarism in the design world. This is a fascinating subject that is more nuanced than you may expect. Whilst it is an older article the points remain valid as does the battle. To read more, click the LinkedIn article here. LIST OF THE WEEK: FIVE MISUNDERSTOOD MOTORS
Bear Stimulus - 16 March 2021
FOLLOW UP: BATH CLEAN AIR ZONE GOES LIVEBathe has implemented a Clean Air Zone, which remains free for passenger cars and motorcycles to enter, but could cost up to £100 per day for older lorries and buses. Find out more here. FOLLOW UP: CONSULTATION ON ENDING THE SALE OF NEW ICE/HEV CARS AND VANSThe Uk government has concluded its consultation on the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans. You can read the official response here.NEW ENGINE DEAL FOR DAGENHAMFord has announced that Dagenham will build the engines for the next generation of Transit Custom. The engines will be exported to Turkey, where the van is to be built alongside its Volkswagen sibling. Read more on this story here.ASTON JOB LOSSES AT ST. ATHANAston Martin has announced job losses at its St. Athan factory. The DBX production line is being “downsized” to help a return to profitability. 95 employees are to lose their jobs alon with around 100 contractors. You can read more here from Autocar and here from the BBC.CONCERNS OF EV CHARGER ACCESSIBILITYA report by the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC) shows that two thirds of disabled people fear that they would find EV charging “either difficult of very difficult” in its current form despite wishing to own an EV. You can read more here.GRIDSERVE PARTNERS WITH ECOTRICITYThere’s hope for motorway charging with Gridserve taking a 25% stake in Ecotricity’s Electric Highway. This investment will be used to upgrade chargers and customer services provision. You can read the press release here.OXFORD PLANS TO INTRODUCE ZERO EMISSION ZONEOxford County and City Councils are due to vote on a proposal to introduce a Zero Emissions Zone. The small area of the city centre will be free for zero-emission vehicles to enter but will charge between £2 and £10 for other vehicles. You can read more here.LEGENDARY F1 COMMENTATOR DIES AT 97We, along with so many of us around the world, were saddened to hear fo the death of the man who introduced the vast majority of us to motorsport, Murray Walker. There are so many great tributes and obituaries and the Autocar one is
Gone French On Them - 9 March 2021
FOLLOW UP: ANDREW GOT LOST IN LIVERPOOL Thank you, to the keen eared listener who corrected Andrew on where Aigburth Road actually is in Liverpool, when he described Edge Lane. FOLLOW UP: DEALERS UNHAPPY WITH VOLVO PLANSThis week’s ‘well knock me down with a feather’ news item is that the dealerships who found out that Volvo wants to ditch a lot of them for sales, are less than happy with this idea. To read more, click The Truth About Cars article here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FEBRUARY 2021This will be the last month that does not compare restricted UK, year on year, when looking at registration figures. Considering the country has been in another ‘full’ lockdown, manufacturers and dealers have done well to only be 35% down on last year. To read more, click the SMMT figures here. In our not very regular segment about LGVs, it is interesting to see that vans are still going strong, with registrations being up 22% on last year. To read more about that, click the SMMT article here. FUEL DUTY NOT RAISED IN BUDGETDuring his Budget speech, the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that there would be no rise in fuel duty, as was expected. That was pretty much the only item specifically aimed at motorists. To read more, click the Autocar article here. ASTON MARTIN WILL MAKE EVS IN THE UKAston Martin are the latest brand to announce they will be building electric vehicles, ahead of the UK Government’s ICE ban. Additionally, these will be built in the UK. As the cost of purchasing their cars is so high and happens in such small numbers, any rules of origin issues will be minimised for Aston Martin. To read more, click the BBC News article here. PORSCHE INVESTS MORE IN RIMACPorsche has announced that it is increasing their stake in Rimac to 24%, with an new £60 million investment in the Croatian electric super car brand. By doing so, they will be able to access Rimac’s technology, which will help the development of their own EVs. To read more, click the EVO article here. M6 SHOCKED BY NEW RAPID CHARGERSAt Welcome Break services at Corley, in the West Midlands, Instavolt has opened a new rapid charging hub northbound, with one due to go in southbound by the end of March. To read more, click the ZapMap article here. STELLANTIS ASKS FOR GOVERNMENT AID FOR ELLESMERE PORTStellantis has asked the UK Government for...
Automotive Eurovision - 2 March 2021
FORD BUYS BACK FACTORYIn Merseyside, Ford has bought back the remaining stake in a transmission factory, securing the future of 600 workers. This is a glimpse of good news and look forward to finding out why they have made such a move. To find out more, click the Business Live article here. YARIS IS THE EUROPEAN CAR OF THE YEARWhilst many are only grumbling about Geneva, rather than getting ready to go AND grumbling, the European Car of the Year was announced. The winner is the Toyota Yaris. To find out more about which country voted for which cars, click the Motoring Research article here. There is a fun article running through all the past winners, to see how they fared after being hailed as the best, to read about that click the Autocar article here. E10 PETROL TO BE SOLD FROM SEPTEMBER 2021The Government has announced that E10 petrol will start to be sold throughout the UK from September 2021. This has a higher amount of ethanol in it than existing fuel. The expectation is that around 700K vehicles will be affected by the more aggressive nature of the composition of the fuel, meaning that some parts and components may wear more quickly than previously. To find out more, click the Motoring Research article here. For more detail on what the fuel change means to older cars, you can read the Not2Grand article by clicking here. To find out if any vehicle you own will be impacted, click the direct link to the Gov.UK check site here. VOLVO AND GEELY NO LONGER MERGINGVolvo and Geely announced that they will no longer be merging, as they had intended. However, they will be forging closer ties on technology sharing and the likes. The reason for not merging is not known, nor is it really clear, if this is such a great outcome, why they were intending to in the first place. To read more, click the Autocar article here. Volvo also announced how they are the latest firm to confirm they will be going all electric prior to whichever legislative date has been shouted about last. Added to the news of ditching ICE from 2030, they also stated sales will be online, which may come as a shock to their dealership partners. To read more, click the Autocar article here. ROADS WITH THE HIGHEST SPEEDING RATESFollowing a Freedom of Information request, many police authorities have confirmed the number of offences recorded on roads within their jurisdiction. To see if you live near any particular hot spots, click the Motoring Research article here.
It Will Save Lives! - 23 February 2021
FOLLOW UP: 2000 JOBS TO GO IN JLR ‘REIMAGINATION’There has been further clarification to the information from Jaguar Land Rover, with regards to their ‘Reimagination’ strategy. 2000 salaried, non manufacturing, workers will be lost from the global workforce in the next year, as part of the cost cutting element of the strategy. To read more, click the Autocar article here. FOLLOW UP: MITSUBISHI MAY NOT BE LEAVING EUROPEAccording to reports, Mitsubishi may be about to change their position on Europe, thanks to Renault. Suggestions are that their models will be built in Renault factories that, however there are no new models being designed for Europe and this would not affect the decision to stop selling cars in the UK. To read more, click the Automotive Management article here. FOLLOW UP: BRISTOL CLEAN AIR ZONE STARTS IN OCTOBERBristol has now confirmed the latest idea and map for their Clean Air Zone, following the Government asking the council to rethink the decision to ban all diesels for large portions of the day. CAZ D, as it is knows, is not without controversy, as it snares two main roads that are used by many to, ironically, avoid the city centre. To read an ever so slightly biased article from the Bristol 24/7 site, click the link here, but really just do it to see the map. ROCKINGHAM IS NOW A CAR PARKPictures were released this week, showing the sad demise of the Rockingham race track, as it become a giant car park for mainly ex hire and lease cars. To see more, click the BBC News article here. TRIAL IN OFFERING GIFTS TO OWNERS TO DITCH THEIR CARSCoventry is the first location to offer, in exchange for up to £3000, travel credits, to entice drivers out of their cars and onto alternative forms of transport. These can be used for ebikes, escooters, car share clubs, taxis and public transport. Hampshire is also interested in trialling this idea. To read more, click the RAC article here. RUSSIA ACCUSED OF SPYING ON VOLVO AND SWEDENA technology consultant, based in Sweden, has been accused of passing on information about Scania Trucks and Volvo Cars, to Russia. Swedish prosecutors have said the country has been put at risk with some of the information passed on. To read more, click The Moscow Times article here. EU REPORT ON AI LEAVING AVS OPEN TO CYBER ATTACKSA report from the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has outlined the potential exposure to risk AI provides in autonomous...
25m Swimming Certificate - 16 February 2021
FOLLOW UP: GHOSN ESCAPE TEAM LOSE COURT APPEALThe father and son team who are accussed of helping Ghosn spring from bail in Japan, has lost their appeal to be extradited to Japan to face charges relating to Carlos Ghosn’s escape. To read more, click here for the Automotive News article. JAGUAR LAND ROVER ANNOUNCE NEW STRATEGYJLR has announced a ‘reimagining’ of their path forward. From 2025 they will be a fully electric focused company. Jaguar will ditch SUVs as they will be Land Rover’s sectors. The XJ, which is so deep into development, has been ditched. There are a lot of aspects to their plans, in order to read more, click the Motoring Research article here to get an overview. For some more in-depth analysis, click here for Professor David Bailey’s take on the news in Car Dealer Magazine. GOVERNMENT POTHOLE FUND DROPSThe Government announced it is injecting £500m into the pothole fund, to help local councils repair the shocking state of the roads. Whilst this is a lot, it is a reduction on last year’s overall fund. Councils are warning that they will not be able to tackle everything they need to as a result. To read more, click the Highways Magazine here. HIGHWAYS ENGLAND RECOMMENDED TO FACE CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTERFollowing a tragic incident and death on the M1 on a smart motorway section, a coroner has recommended that Highways England face charges of corporate manslaughter. To read more, click the Autocar story here. MERCEDES ECALL SYSTEM BUGIn the US, if there is a sufficient voltage drop to the eCall emergency call system and it is involved in an accident, the location will be given in Europe to the emergency services trying to locate the vehicle. Up to 1.3m vehicles are thought to be involved in the recall. To read more, click the BBC News story here. TWO EV ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE GOVERNMENTThe Government has opened a consultation regarding public charging points, seeking feedback on how to improve them. As Alan points out, we will do far more good by filling this out than bleating on Twitter, so to help click the link here to go straight to the page. Also, announced was that the Home and Workplace Charging Schemes have been extended. This gives financial assistance to those looking to install a charging point at home or work. One detail that was spotted by friend of the show, Daniel Puddicombe, was that the B&Bs had now been included buy workplaces should only be installing for use by employees. We will keep an eye out for any...
Scope Creep - 9 February 2021
FOLLOW UP: TESLA CHIP RECALL EXPANDED TO UK Tesla has expanded the recall they were forced to initiate in the US, to the UK, for Model S and X cars. The issue is with the type of chip used in their touchscreens, which is not able to cope with the demands of automotive use. There is no timescale on when the recall will begin. To read more, click the Car Dealer article here.JANUARY 2021 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESIn January there was a drop of nearly 40% in new cars being registered, which is an excellent effort from the industry considering the country is in another lockdown. The Top 10 *Most Registered* list has a few surprises. To read more, click the SMMT article here. For Tristan Young’s breakdown of registrations due to the ‘fuel put in it’, click the Twitter link here. To learn more about Used Car Transactions, from 2020, click the SMMT link here. DIESEL MOT FAILURE RATE ROCKETSFollowing the introduction of the latest MOT rules, in May 2018, the number of diesel vehicles failing the emission element has rises 240%, with petrol up by 37%. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. HYUNDAI NOT IN TALKS WITH APPLEA renewed rumour about Apple making their own car surfaced again recently, this time with Hyundai being associated with the project. However, this has now been clarified, Apple is not discussing such a project with the Korean giant. To read more, click the Autocar article here. JLR WINS C-TYPE COPYRIGHT CASEJaguar Land Rover has won a copyright case over the shape of the Jaguar C-Type, in Sweden. The court acknowledged that the shape was individual enough to warrant intellectual property rights. To read more, click the Car Deal Magazine article here and don’t do any Jag sketches! CALLS TO LOWER THE DRINK-DRIVE LIMITThe Government is under pressure to lower the drink-drive limits in England and Wales. Fatal accidents from drivers being over the limit account for 13 percent. There are a series of steps and suggestions which can be found within the Motoring Research article by clicking the 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...
There Is The Carrot - 2 February 2021
OLD TYRES BANNED Following a lengthy campaign after a tragically fatal accident involving a coach with old tyres, a new law has come into force that bans tyres over 10 years old from being fitted to lorries, coaches and buses where there is only a single tyre. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. TOYOTA RECLAIMS WORLD’S LARGEST CAR MANUFACTURER CROWNToyota was the largest car manufacturer in 2020, knocking the Volkswagen Group from the lofty top spot. Whilst all were affected by lockdowns across the globe, the reach of Toyota’s network appears to have softened that blow. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. JLR POST PRE-TAX PROFIT FOR LAST QUARTERThe impact of the dramatic cost-efficiencies across Jaguar Land Rover are bearing fruit, as they announced a pre-tax profit of £439m, for the last quarter. To read more about this good news, click the Autocar article here. NEW MD NAMED BY LOTUSMatt Windle has been named the new Managing Director of Lotus, taking over from Phil Popham. As he was Executive Director for Engineering he will already be familiar with the recently announced plan to move the company forward. To read more, click the Lotus press release here. JATO NO LONGER SEPARATING HYBRIDS FROM ICE FIGURESThe analysis company JATO Dynamics will no longer reporting hybrid vehicles under “electrified”, as they have deemed they are mainly driven by the internal combustion engine. Only plug-in hybrids and fully electric will fall under this classification. We have been saying this for some time now, when we cover it during the monthly registration figures. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. GOVERNMENT PLEDGES £93M TO ROAD UPGRADESThe Government has stated that there will be an additional £93m made available for upgrading certain roads that are deemed vital in the economic recovery of this country. The majority will be focused on the North. To read more, click the Autocar article here. GOVERNMENT PLEDGES £20M TO ON-STREET CHARGING SCHEMEThe Government has stated it will be providing £20m to the on-street charging scheme, that local councils can access to improve provisions in their areas. This is a jump from last year and a huge increase compared to 2019. To read more, click the Autocar article here. WHITBREAD INSTALLING THOUSANDS OF GENIE POINT EV CHARGERSAcross the Whitebread portfolio of hotels and...
Saturn On Upside-Down - 27 January 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW APPEAL $20M SPANISH CLAIM After a Spanish court order Volkswagen to compensate owners €3000 each, who bought a car with the defeat-device fitted. The company has announced it will appeal the ruling. To read more, click the Reuters article here. FOLLOW UP: VW SEEKS US RULING ON EMISSION UPDATEWhen Volkswagen agreed to settle the criminal and civil actions, in the US, to the tune of $20 billion, it did not get liability protection from state and local governments, according to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. VW disagree and are taking the ruling to the US Supreme Court to attempt to protect themselves from state and local governments claiming penalties for the defeat-devices. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here. VW FACING FLEET CO2 FINEVolkswagen Group missed their required target for fleet CO2 levels, in 2020, and is now facing a potential fine of €95 for every g/km missed per car sold. Diess tried to put a brave face on it, by stating VW and Audi brands exceeded the targets. Whilst we wait for the final ruling from the EU, click the Autocar article here to read more. NISSAN TO BUILD EVS IN UKNissan has committed to building EVs in the UK for the foreseeable future and to enable that will package the batteries in the UK too, due to Rule of Origin requirements of the Brexit deal. To read more, click the Relocate Magazine article here. For further background information, see the Twitter thread involving Jim Holder, Haymarket Editorial Director, and Dr Andy Palmer, formerly of Nissan and Aston Martin, by clicking here. TFL SEES CONGESTION CHARGE INCOME INCREASEFollowing agreement between the Government and Transport for London (TfL), for a financial handout in 2020, the “temporary” increase to the scope and level of the charge resulted in an £86 million increase of income. The '“temporary” changes will remain in place until the end of this financial year, at least. To read more, click the Autocar article here. SHELL BUYS UBITRICITYShell is continuing to expand into the EV charging industry, with the announcement that it is buying Ubitricity. There are 2700 charging points, mainly low energy versions built into street furniture such as bollards, street lamps and the likes. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. BLOODHOUND LSR UP FOR SALEThe Bloodhound Land Speed Record project, is once again up for sale, after Ian Warhurst stated he could not afford to take attempt the record due to the extra investment required....
House of Puns - 19 January 2021
FOLLOW UP: SOME CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST WINTERKORN A Lower Saxony court has dropped the charges of market manipulation, against former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, preferring to focus on the accusation that he knowingly sold vehicles fitted with defeat devices. Winterkorn’s lawyers maintain his innocence of all charges. To read more, click the DW article here. STELLANTIS LAUNCHES ON STOCK MARKETSThe newly formed company, following the merger of the PSA and FCA groups, has launched on several stock markets across the globe. Their share price has been positively welcomed by traders. To read more, click the Automotive Management article here. JURGEN HUBBERT PASSES AWAYThe former Chairman of Mercedes-Benz, Jurgen Hubbert, has passed away at the age of 81. He took on the role in 1989, holding it for 15 years, ushering in many changes to the company and their models. To read more about what he managed in that time, click here for the Autocar article. RENAULT ANNOUNCES NEW STRATEGY Ignoring the dreadful mashing of words together, Renault’s new strategy was revealed in a glitzy press conference. There will be a host of new models launched, across all the brands of the group, with much sharing of platforms and technology. To read more, click the Autocar article here. SEMICONDUCTOR SHORTAGE HITS FACTORIESManufacturing plants are having to slow production due to a global shortage of semiconductor chips, needed for several aspects of modern cars. Audi, VW, Honda and Toyota have all been affected, amongst others. To read more, click the Autocar article here. GREY IS THE UK’S FAVOURITE COLOURIn, what feels like, a reflection of the nation’s mood, grey has again been applied to more new cars than any other registered in the UK, in 2020. Black, followed by white, make up the top three, but also 6 in 10 cars are coated in these three colours. To read more, and see where the interesting colours are, click here for the Motoring Research 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——————————————————————————-WRC: LATEST MONTE CARLO RESTRICTIONS ANNOUNCEDThe organisers of the Monte Carlo Rally have been working closely...
Time That Precious Commodity - 12 January 2021
NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR DECEMBER AND ALL 2020 The New Car Registration figures are dissected for December and the whole of 2020. That the overall figure is only down 29% for 2020 is remarkable. The Top 10 registered cars (not sellers!) has a different look to it. As a side note, the Ford Transit Custom had more registered than the third place Golf for 2020. To read more, click the SMMT article here. 56,000 VW GOLF MODELS RECALLEDVolkswagen is issuing a “voluntary service measure”, to fix software issues with the Golf’s infotainment and reversing camera systems. VW has struggled with software issues for both the Golf and ID.3, which were launched last year. To read more, click the Reuters article here. SUPERMARKETS ACCUSED OF FUEL PRICE RIP-OFF Supermarkets have increased their forecourt prices well above the cost of wholesale fuel. This has led to anger from motoring groups and customers. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. ANPR CAMERAS USED BY DEVON AND CORNWALL Devon and Cornwall Police are deploying ANPR cameras, to spot vehicles entering the counties who are not registered locally, to prevent those travelling from other areas doing so against the latest Covid restriction rules. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. DETROIT 2021 MOTOR SHOW CANCELLED Organisers of the 2021 Detroit Motor Show have taken the advanced step of cancelling the event that was due to take place in September. New plans are for a combined indoor and outdoor experience aimed at car fans, with a location of Phoenix. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. COMPANIES WITH NEW FLAT LOGOS Thanks to electrification and the ability to light up car badges or logos, many companies have reinvigorated theirs, with a ‘flat’ design. Kia is the latest to do so, along with General Motors. To find out more about what the new looks represent for Kia click the Autocar article here. To learn more about what GM have done, click the Autocar article here. To find out who else has made this move in the last year, click the Dezeen 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
Special Edition - Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars Series 5
Alan was joined by television’s Paul Cowland to have a chat about the latest series of Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars. We talk about jeopardy, flouncing off in a huff on screen and Jensen Interceptors amongst other things. We mention the show on occasion.You can find out more about Paul’s background in his Rear View chat with Andrew. You can follow him on Twitter here and on Instagram here.Drew Pritchard is on Twitter here, Instagram here and his autobiography is here (affiliate link).You can learn more about Quest here and Discovery+ here.
Perfect Curve - 5 January 2021
FOLLOW UP: VW DID BREAK LAW ACCORDING TO ECJThe European Court of Justice has ruled that Volkswagen Group, by fitting the defeat device, did break the law. The claim that it was to protect the engine was rejected by the court. This, combined with a separate ruling allowing consumers to sue VW in the country they bought the car rather than Germany, has potentially opened up more financial pain for the company. To read more, click the Car Dealer article here. FOLLOW UP: MERCEDES UNDER PRESSURE AFTER ECJ VW RULINGYou will have seen or heard the adverts from a legal firm telling you that as an owner of a Mercedes you *may be eligible for compensation because Mercedes-Benz are accused of fitting a defeat device to their engines. The Volkswagen ruling in the European Court of Justice has emboldened those chasing compensation. To read more, click the Car Dealer link here. FOLLOW UP: GHOSN ASKS WHY JAPANESE WON’T VISIT LEBANON French investigators are intending to meet with Carlos Ghosn, in Lebanon, over open cases, which has prompted his to ask why Japanese investigators are not doing likewise. In Ghosn’s opinion this emphasises how false the charges are against him. To read more, click The Mainichi article here. FOLLOW UP: MAZDA NOW SELLING PARTS FOR RX-7SMazda has confirmed that it will be selling service parts for Gen 2 and 3 RX-7s as there is sufficient demand from owners. This will allow cars to be maintained with genuine parts. To read more, click the Mazda press release here. WHAT IS ALLOWED IN NEW ENGLISH NATIONAL LOCKDOWN As this latest national lockdown comes into force, with more nuanced rules than the first one, questions have arisen from drivers over what is and is not allowed. Autocar has compiled an excellent article to take you through the more common questions about what you can do. To read more, click the link here. DVLA WARNS OF INCREASED NUMBERS OF SCAMSThe DVLA has warned the public there has been a big jump in the number of attempts to scam motorists via email, text and phone calls. We are all urged to be on our guard and know that they would never ask for sensitive information to be given or confirmed via the phone or similar. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here. FCA-PSA MERGER APPROVED BY SHAREHOLDERSThe shareholders of both the PSA and FCA groups have given the final green light to the merger of the companies, meaning that Stellantis will become a thing. Expect heavy use of platform and technology sharing as they take advantage of economies of even greater scale. To read...