Motoring Podcast - News Show
Motoring Podcast
Updated about 20 hours 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 (327)
Sea, Sand, and Probably Not Sangria - 8 July 2025
JUNE 2025 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESThe Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has published the registration figures for new cars, that took place in June 2025. There is good news, as overall numbers rose, year-on-year. Not only that, but BEVs had a market share of 24.8% as uptake continues. To read more, click this article link from SMMT. MCLAREN CONTINUES TO CHANGE LEADERSHIP TEAMMcLaren has appointed for Ferrari CEO, Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo, as a director. Presumably he is bringing a wealth of knowledge on how to run a successful performance car brand. If you want to find out more, click this EVO article link here. GEELY IS COMING TO THE UKGeely will be launching their own cars in the UK, starting with the EX5 a mid sized SUV. Sales are expected to begin towards the end of 2025. You can read more, by clicking this MotorTrader article link here. RENAULT HIT BY NISSAN STAKERenault Group has reported a €9.5bn loss on their stake in Nissan. This is due to a combination of them reducing their share of the Japanese company and Nissan’s share price dropping by nearly 40% over the last year. Click this Financial Times article link to read more. FERRARI LOSE TRADEMARK CASEFerrari claimed that an energy drink logo would cause confusion with consumers as they think they’ll be buying a Ferrari energy drink, thanks to the use of prancing horses. A Malaysian High Court has thrown the case out, however. The “Wee Power” logo can continue to be two prancing horse over a ‘W’. Click this link, from Free Malaysia Today, to read more. 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 NEWS - Kia EV4Kia has revealed details about the EV4, which is due for sale in the UK in the autumn of 2025. Priced from £34,695, having a 58.3kWh battery pack that gives a max range of 273 miles as a hatch. There will be a saloon option too. For £37,695, you get a 81.4kWh battery pack that has a max range of 388 miles. Click this Autocar article link, to read more. Kia SportageKia are updating their most popular model, the Sportage. Externally the looks will now be in line with other refreshed models. Click this Autocar article link here, to find out more including prices. Stellantis recallStellantis has issued a recall on their 1.5 BlueHDi diesel engine, built between 2017 and 2023, due to potential camshaft chain issues. Click this Bermuda Broadcast News article link for more....
Riding a horse - 1 July 2025
UK CAR PRODUCTION DROPS AGAINUK car production dropped the lowest since 1949, bar the lockdown year of 2020. That is the second record breaking (and not the good type) month on the trot. The US tariff jump is being largely blamed for this. To read more, click this Autocar article link here. NISSAN CONFIRMS UK JOB CUTSNissan has announced that around 250 employees are taking voluntary redundancy in Sunderland, as the car company looks to cut costs. This is all part of the dramatic steps the Japanese company is actioning due to their financial woes. If you wish to read more, click this Top Gear article link here. Adding to the bleak picture Nissan is painting, leaked documents show the company approaching suppliers to request a delay in paying them. The reasoning is claimed to be a freeing up of cash. The request is voluntary, but would be two to three months delay for invoices being paid. You can read more, by clicking this Reuters article link here. LOTUS MAY OR MAY NOT CLOSE UK PRODUCTIONLate last week Autocar was told that Lotus was planning to move production, from the UK, as it explored the possibility of building cars in the US thanks to the tariffs. However, on Monday, the company issued a statement refuting the possibility of shutting down the Hethel factory. The UK Government has pledged to discuss the matter with Lotus to safeguard British jobs. Click this Autocar link here to read more. CAR MAKERS GO COLD ON APPLE CARPLAY ULTRASome of the companies that had agreed to work with Apple and integrate Apple CarPlay Ultra into their vehicles, are now stepping back from those commitments. Regular CarPlay will still be available but allowing access to data that enables the display on the driver's binnacle was too much for them. To learn more, click this MacRumours article link here. GM CLASS ACTION TO BE SPLIT UPGeneral Motors won a ruling that will cause the class action against them, regarding defective transmissions, is to be split up into smaller cases due to the wide variety of vehicles involved. The case is not going away and it is only a reprieve as this will be sent back to the regional judge to decide which owners will be clumped together. If you want to read more, click this Reuters article link here. INTEL RETREATS FROM THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTORIntel is closing down its automotive business and laying off the majority of people who worked on it. Intel is having to restructure due to business competition and struggles.
Undig yourself - 24 June 2025
FOLLOW UP: US UK TRADE DEAL IS ACTUALLY REALFollowing our confusion, last week, on what had actually been signed, it appears that the US and UK have indeed signed an actual, real trade deal. This means that for up to 100,000 cars exported to the US, there will only be an additional 10% tariff added, instead of 25%. Click this Autocar article link here, to read more. NO RETURN TO 30MPH LIMIT IN DENBIGHSHIREOne county in Wales has canvassed local residents to see if any of the roads that have been changed from 30 to 20mph limit, should be changed back to the original speed. Only people outside of specific areas, travelling through, have asked for a return to the higher speed and have not been considered. As a result, no roads are going back. You can read more, by clicking this BBC News article link here. DEALER TO PAY FOR INFOTAINMENT REPLACEMENT SHOCKA ruling by the Motor Ombudsman has stated that a dealer must pay for the full replacement costs of a broken infotainment system as it was deemed unsatisfactory quality. This was all under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The shock is that the dealer is being held responsible and not the manufacturer, however, the contract is with the dealer and customer, not the customer and manufacturer. If you want to learn more, click this lawgistics article link, here. NEW STELLANTIS PARTS DISTRIBUTION HUB IN THE UKEllesmere Port is the location of the new Stellantis parts distribution hub, which has just opened. This site will feed 19 regional parts hubs across the country and Ireland. To find out more, click this Autocar article link here. AMAZON AND STELLANTIS SOFTWARE COLLABORATION ENDSStellantis and Amazon have shelved the software collaboration that was first announced in January 2022 and meant to be behind the SmartCockpit system. If you wish to learn more, click this Yahoo Finance article link here. OLD NISSAN LEAF BATTERIES GET SECOND LIFE IN ROMERome Airport is using old Nissan Leaf batteries as part of a system that reduces the pull on the electrical energy network, making them more self contained. Nissan predicts the batteries will have a life of at least seven years. Click this EV Powered article to learn more. 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 NEWS - VW Golf GTI Edition 50Volkswagen are getting ahead of the game, with announcing how they will celebrate the Golf GTI’s 50th anniversary. There will be a special edition, with 321bhp, giving a 0-62mph of 5.5 seconds an a limited top speed of 168mph. There is also some fettling to the chassis and suspension set ups to help deliver improved driving dynamics. Prices are expected to start around £45,000.
Face firework - 17 June 2025
SUDDEN RENAULT CEO DEPARTUREOver the weekend there was surprise from Renault Group, as Luca de Meo announced he would be leaving the company on 15 July to become CEO of French luxury group Kering. To find out more, click this Yahoo Finance article link here. £15.6BN FOR TRANSPORT IN GOVERNMENT SPENDING REVIEWThe UK Government has announced their spending review, where £15.6 billion is being allocated for transport projects, of which £1.4 billion is for the uptake of electric vehicles. More money is set aside for other connected projects such as training and upskilling young people. Click this Motor Trader article link here to read more. MINISTERS TO CHOOSE WHO CAN ACCESS US UK TRADE DEALWith the US and UK having negotiated the details of the previous agreement of areas they would discuss, the proposal of 100,000 UK built cars being exported to America, annually, at an additional tariff of 10% looks set to come into force. However, who from these shores can access that is yet to be decided. Car Dealer Magazine is suggesting that Government ministers are to work that out. If you want to read more, click this article link here. VOLVO REVEALS ADAPTIVE SEAT BELTVolvo has shown off a new seat belt, which has been designed to react to the individual wearing it and the environment around the car. There will be a host of sensors which relay specific information to allow different tension strengths, in the event of an collision, depending on the size and weight of the occupant. On top of which there will be over-the-air updates that Volvo says it will use to improve the technology. To learn more, click this Top Gear article link here. BELIEV TO EXPAND EV CHARGER NETWORKBeliev has announced that, thanks to public and private funding, it will expand the public EV charging network helping to try to achieve the 300,000 charger target by 2030. They will be helping on-street charging needs as well as rural areas that have been overlooked up to now. You can find out more, by clicking this EV Powered article link here. UBER AND WAYVE TO BRING DRIVERLESS CARS TO LONDONUber and Wayve will be trialling a taxi service in London come the spring of 2026. Wayve claims it uses AI to pilot vehicles and only last month Uber was complaining that they could not meet the requirements to launch driverless vehicles in the UK. A reminder that AI cannot meet the requirements of safety critical software. For more on this, click here on a Top Gear article link. 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...
Enthusiastic Alan - 10 June 2025
NEW CAR REGISTRATIONS MAY 2025New car registrations rose, year on year, 1.6% thanks to Fleet. BEV registrations rose to 21.8% of the market share, which is growth but still a long way off the mandated amount. The SMMT once again called on Government financial help to encourage more people to buy electric. Click this link here to read more from the SMMT. TFL TO INCREASE LONDON CONGESTION CHARGEFrom 2 January 2026, the rate of the Congestion Charge if being proposed to increase to £18 along with the exemption for zero emission vehicles (ZEV) ending. However, ZEVs will pay a reduced amount that will change over time. If you wish to learn more, click this electrive article link here. For the Autocar article, click here. PIRELLI CAUGHT UP IN ANTI-CHINESE CONNECTIVITY RULESThe US Department of Commerce has finalised their rules on connected vehicle technology and software. They are banning any from Russia and China. This has brought Pirelli’s ‘Cyber Tyre’ technology into the crosshairs as Sinochem, a Chinese company, has 37% of shares in the manufacturer. To read more, click this Carscoops article link here. BRAZIL SUES BYD OVER WORKER'S CONDITIONSBYD, the Chinese EV maker, is building a plant in Brazil, but has been raided by officials who state they released 220 workers from conditions they likened to slavery. Welfare and financial restrictions were found that contravened the local laws. For more on this story, click here to read a BBC News article. NORTH OF SCOTLAND EV CHARGING CONTRACT SIGNEDEasyGo, an EV charging network, has signed a 20 year contract to install and maintain electric charging points across the north of Scotland. On top of that they will take on the upkeep of 425 existing council charge points. Click this electrive article link here to read more. FASTNED TO OPEN NEW CHARGING HUB IN WEST SCOTLANDFastned will open its fifth charging hub in Scotland, this time at Greenock, which will house four ultra-rapid chargers that can add around 100 miles to a car’s range in five minutes. If you wish to read more, click this Electric Drives article link here. MCDONALD’S EV CHARGING PROVISION INCREASESMcDonald’s, in partnership with Instavolt, has EV charge points at 250 sites across the UK and Ireland. They do not plan on slowing down either. Fast charging for fast food. Click this Motoring Research article link here, to read more. TFL STUDY SHOWS ROAD INJURY AND DEATH REDUCTION A study by Transport for London (TfL) into rates of serious injury and death on roads with 20mph speed limits has shown a reduction in the numbers. This backs up what...
Saved France - 3 June 2025
FOLLOW UP: GERMAN COURT SENTENCES DIESELGATE EXECSOver nine and a half years after dieselgate first hit the news, a court in Germany has sentenced four ex Volkswagen Group executives for their part in the scandal. Two were given prison time, with the others being given suspended sentences. Former Group CEO, Martin Winterkorn, is still awaiting trial after several health issues. Click this article link from DW for more. FOLLOW UP: FRANCE CANS ZFES DUE TO COMPLEXITYFrench politicians voted to end low emission zones, as it was part of a wider proposal to make daily life in France more simple. Alan predicted this would be the case, as he had just bought passes for his cars. Statues are being erected in honour of the man bringing a better life to the ordinary people of France. They will know Alan Bradley’s name and they will honour it! To read more, click this Connexion article link here. FOLLOW UP: STELLANTIS GET A NEW CEOAfter months of searching, Stellantis have named the ex-Jeep boss, Antonio Filosa, as the new chief executive officer. Also announced is that the leadership team for the 14 brands of the group will be confirmed next month. You can find out more, by clicking this Autocar article link here. APRIL UK CAR PRODUCTION THE WORST FOR 73 YEARSApart from 2020, which was hit by Covid lockdowns, April 2025 was the worst for production since 1952. SMMT suggests that the Easter date and reduced export demand is to blame. Obviously, the call went up to demand UK based incentives to encourage more to buy. Click this Autocar article link here, for more. TOYOTA BRINGING GR COROLLA PRODUCTION TO THE UKOn more positive production news, Toyota is bringing GR Corolla production to the UK. Expected production levels are yet to be announced. To read more, click this Autocar article link here. VOLVO CULLING MORE JOBSVolvo has announced big cuts at it’s Swedish bases, with 2200 roles to be made redundant. On top of that, a further 800 jobs will go across the global network. If you wish to find out more, click this Autocar article link here. VAUXHALL GETS A NEW BOSSSteve Catlin will be returning to Vauxhall, where he started his journey in the automotive journey, via Audi, Seat, VW Group and latterly Volvo UK where he headed up the Financial Services division. To read more, click this Car Dealer article link here. UK EV CHARGER PLANNING REQUIREMENTS REMOVEDLillian Greenwood, the Future Roads Minister, has announced that the requirements of planning permission for private and public chargers is to be removed. The hope is that this will help speed up the installation of chargers across the country. For more on this story,
Cookware solutions - 27 May 2025
SCOTTISH JUDGES ALLOW RENAULT NISSAN CASE TO PROCEEDFollowing an appeal to block the case, by Nissan, the Inner House of the Court of Session has concluded that the ‘dieselgate’ class-action can proceed against the Japanese company and Renault. The claim is that the brands fitted defeat devices in their vehicles and 8,500 people are stating they suffered loss as a result. Click this article link from The Standard to read more. GOVERNMENT PARKING APP TRIAL PROVES SUCCESSFULTrials, by the UK Government, have resulted in three of the largest parking payment firms agreeing to use one single app. RingGo, JustPark and PayByPhone will enable drivers to pay for parking at the sites run by them, via the National Parking Platform. If you wish to read more, click this Autocar link here. FREIGHT HUB EV CHARGERS FOR LORRIESMaritime Transport will have EV lorry chargers at three site by the end of the month. Tilbury, Doncaster and Wakefield are the first to enable the use of electric lorries, with a further nine following before the end of the year. To read more, click this article link here from Current News. DISABLED DRIVERS LEFT BEHIND BY PUBLIC CHARGING NETWORK The Public Accounts Committee, has published a report to Parliament, that highlights and criticises the public charging network roll-out’s failure of installations when it comes to disabled drivers. You can find out more, by clicking this Autocar article link here. ‘CHARGE UP CHANGE’ CAMPAIGN LAUNCHEDEVA England, an organisation that states it is the voice of EV drivers to aid in policy creation. They have created an online tool that allows you to write to your local MP to help highlight issues facing the switch over to EVs. Click this MotorTrader article link here to read more. For the link to the EVA England Charge Up Change page, click this link here. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Nissan MicraNissan has revealed the next generation Micra and it will be electric. This is a reworked Renault 5. Apparently it is aimed at the European market and is trying to shed the previous generation’s reputation of being for older drivers. To find out the specifications and more details, click this Autocar link here. Toyota RAV4Toyota has tweaked the looks of the new RAV4, making it more boxy but also improved the technology side of things. Additionally, in the UK, we will only be able to buy the PHEV version. If you want to learn more,
Schrodinger sales - 20 May 2025
FOLLOW UP: COUNCIL FORCED TO REPAY PARKING CHARGESAs the And Finally of our episode Nice Weave - 22 April 2025 we discussed the story of citizen campaigner, Zoë Bread, who uses TikTok to highlight typically fun issues but this time it was about how misleading the parking signs were on Collier Street in Manchester. She was fined and dug into the issue as she mistakenly paid at a private machine, thanks to the confusing signage. As a result of this and the attention it drew, she and others will be refunded. Click this BBC News article link here, for more. NISSAN CUTTING MORE JOBSNissan is cutting up to 20,000 jobs across its global footprint, previously the number was 9,000. On top of this plants will be shut, additional to the announced proposed battery factory. Great effort is being put into making operations more efficient, particularly from engineering and the supply chain. If you wish to read more, click this electrive article link here. Additionally, Nissan said it would be happy to integrate the Chinese state-owned Dongfeng into it’s global production capabilities. To read more, click this BBC News article link here. EXCELLENT FINANCIAL RESULTS FROM JLRJLR has revealed pre tax profits of £2.5 billion for the last financial year. This took place whilst sales in Jaguar cars and the Discovery dropped, showing how important the Defender and Range Rover brands are to the organisation. You can read more, by clicking this Autocar link here. POLESTAR GROWTH IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2025Polestar are suggesting that some of the help that has enabled them to have a 76% increase in sales and 84% in revenue is partly down to abandoning the agency sales model. If you want to find out more, click this Autocar article link, here. HYUNDAI TO BUILD CARS IN SAUDI ARABIA Hyundai has announced it will begin producing cars in Saudi Arabia, from late 2026. They are the second brand to be situated in the King Salman Automotive Cluster, part of the King Abdullah Economic City near Jeddah. The expectation is for them to build 50,000 cars a year. Click this Autocar article link here, for more. CITROËN GETS A NEW BOSSCitroën’s new CEO will be Xavier Chardon, who is currently the head of VW France. He takes over from Thierry Koskas on 2 June 2025. Before working for VW back in 2012 he was at Citroën. To read more on this, click here for the Autocar article link. ASTON MARTIN REVEAL CAR PLAY ULTRA INTEGRATIONAfter announcing their new Car Play back in mid 2022, Apple has partnered with Aston Martin, bringing us the first brand to integrate into their cars. Click this Motoring Research article link here to see more. Drew Smith has an interesting thread on Bluesky,...
Building statues - 13 May 2025
APRIL 2025 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESAs expected, the new car registration figures for April 2025, were down following the jump in March prior to the tax changes. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) explained how there was a ten percent drop, year-on-year. However, BEV and PHEV registrations rose, but are not near the levels needed to comply with the ZEV mandate. Once again the SMMT called on the Government to assist the industry and buyers. Click this link to read more, from SMMT. GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR SUNDERLAND BATTERY FACTORYThe planned factory, by AESC, in Sunderland, which will make batteries for Nissan is to receive Government funding. £350 million has been allocated, with an expectation of a thousand well paid jobs, according to the chancellor Rachel Reeves. You can find out more, by clicking this Sunderland Echo article link, here. NISSAN CANCELLING JAPANESE BATTERY FACTORYNissan is not going to build the planned battery factory in Kitakyushu, Japan. This will save the company $1.1 billion, it is reported. If you wish to read more, click this Yahoo Finance article link here. UK - INDIA TRADE AGREEMENT ANNOUNCEDDetails are a bit sketchy, but the UK and Indian Governments announced that they had reached a trade agreement. One beneficiary is the car industry or at least those who produce “high end cars”, whatever they are. Until more information is more forthcoming it is difficult to confirm if it is good or not. Click this Autocar article for more. EU TWEAKS CO2 EMISSION RULES The EU has made changes to the rules for car manufacturers about CO2 emissions. They will now allow brands to average their fleet output over three years rather than annually. If you wish to read more click this Yahoo Finance article link here. FOXCONN AND MITSUBISHI AGREE PRODUCTION DEALFoxconn has announced the first deal to develop and produce a car for a brand. Mitsubishi has agreed to allow them to bring a car to the Australian and New Zealand markets in late 2026. To read more, click this electrive article link here. CONFUSION OVER FRENCH ZEVSThe future of French Clean Air Zones is in doubt as the country’s parliament is voting on making daily life more simple. After hearing Alan explain some of the intricacies it is easy to see why people are suggesting it is not the most straightforward thing. Click this Connexion article to read more. VOLTA TRUCKS GOES BANKRUPT AGAINIn late 2023 the Swedish arm of Volta Trucks went into receivership, alas now the UK and Austrian elements have followed suit. This is a sad end to what looked like a promising venture that was let down by relying on technology from a company that themselves went bankrupt. To read more,
Migrating north - 6 May 2025
STELLANTIS WILL NOT PUBLISH PROFIT FORECASTStellantis has decided not to publish their profit forecast, stating that the tariffs cause far too much uncertainty for the financial year ahead. Their financial results for the first quarter of 2025 continued to disappoint, with a 14% drop in revenue and a 9% drop in vehicle shipments. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. 40% DROP IN PROFITS FOR VW Volkswagen’s financial results for the first quarter of 2025 are in and are not great. They did make a profit but it is down 40% on last year, being £1.9 billion with a 1.4% rise in sales. They stated that the increased number of EVs being bought had impacted them due to the much reduced profit margin in electric vehicles. Click this Autocar article to learn more. IMPROVED ASTON MARTIN PERFORMANCE DESPITE LOSSAston Martin announced a pre tax loss of £76.9 million, for the first quarter of 2025, which is significantly down from last year’s £138.8 million. Revenue was also down, 13%, to £233.9 million, showing how the cost cutting efforts were working for the company. You can learn more, by clicking this Autocar link here. DROP IN REVENUE FOR VOLVOVolvo too were announcing their financial results for the first quarter of 2025 and they were down. Deliveries, earnings and revue are all down. Interim CEO Håkan Samuelsson announced cost cutting measures across their global network. To read more, click this Autocar article link here. PORSCHE IN-HOUSE BATTERY PRODUCTION PLANS CHANGE Porsche are not going to expand their in-house battery production, as was originally planned. Instead that money will go to software and other products, as they claim the slow uptake in EVs is to blame. This all comes as they announce a further dramatic drop in China sales, down 42% for the first quarter, and an expected drop in revenue and profits for the company overall. You can learn more, by clicking this Autocar article link here. MCLAREN GETS A NEW BOSSFollowing the merger of McLaren and Forseven, Michael Leiters has stepped down with immediate affect. Forseven’s boss Nick Collins, who coincidentally was named CEO of McLaren Group Holdings - the new overarching company that encompass McLaren and Forseven. Click this Autocar article link to read more. SKODA OPENS ONLINE SHOWROOM WITH AMAZONYou will soon be able to research and peruse your next Skoda via Amazon, in the UK. On top of which you can book your test drive before visiting a Skoda showroom and buying, if you so wish, from the car company directly. If you want to learn more, click this Top Gear article link for more. If you like what we do, on this show, and...
Antique dealers - 29 April 2025
FOLLOW UP: EU IS NOT BANNING CARBON FIBREThanks to listener, Alexander Aucken, we now know that the EU is not banning carbon fibre. Last week the material was removed from the draft proposal after information supplied by the car industry and conflicting research which, in the end, could not show it was a hazardous material. Click this excellent piece from Michael Taylor, to learn more. NISSAN GB GETS a new boss James Taylor has been appointed the managing director of Nissan GB, following his departure from Vauxhall. He replaces Diana Torres, who has been in charge for the last year. You can read more, by clicking this article link from Motor Trader. PLANS TO INCREASE DRIVING LICENSE TEST AVAILABILITYIn some parts of the UK a learner driver may have to wait up to six months to get a driving test appointments. The Government is hoping to add up to 10,000 slots per month with additional testers and reintroduction of overtime payments. There are administrative changes happening as well. To learn more, click this Autocar article link here. CHAIRMAN WANTS TOYOTA TO BUY SUPPLIERAkio Toyoda, the Chairman of Toyota Motor Corp., has proposed buying Toyota Industries Corp., a supplier of the car company. However, the price suggested is much higher than current market value. The deal is at the very early stage and may not come to any fruition. If you wish to learn more, click this Yahoo! Finance article here. ARNOLD CLARK GETS A NEW BOSS Russell Borrie is taking over the role as Chief Executive Officer for Arnold Clark Automobiles, following the departure of Eddie Hawthorne who led the company for 27 years. To read more, click this CarDealer article link here. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Volvo S90Volvo has updated and refreshed the S90, which will not be coming to the UK. External touches include design cues that we have seen on the XC90 and XC60, internally there is the new touchscreen and more refinement. The EV only range of the PHEV has increased to 50 miles. Click this Autocar article to read more. Subaru OutbackSubaru revealed the new Outback at the New York Motor Show and it is a full SUV now. With cues to the Forester from the late 90s and early 2000s, the Outback has got bigger, with a more blunt front end. Internally there are upgrades to the displays, infotainment system and a return of physical controls for climate control. Click this Carscoops article link, to read more. Slate TruckAn EV start...
Nice weave - 22 April 2025
MORE CHANGES FOR LOTUSGeely has announced a restructuring of Lotus to bring the two companies, Lotus UK and Lotus Technology, into one entity. Lotus Technology will buy Geely’s 51% share in Lotus UK. The hope is to make the brand more sustainable and competitive in the current market. You can find out more, by clicking this Autocar article here. CARBON FIBRE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SPOTLIGHT The EU is looking into carbon fibre, in connection with their ‘end-of-life’ rules, as it currently does not meet the requirements. Due to the energy required to make it and how it is very problematic if recycling is attempted, it is likely to be added to the banned or restricted list. This will be a problem for the car industry. Click this Top Gear article to read more. To listen to the Bcomp Special Edition, where they explain more about what they do, click this link here. UK MILITARY REALISES CARS CAN BE TRACKEDThe latest episode of “oh gosh, new cars are full of sensors” from the UK, finds that specific bases have banned Chinese EVs from being brought onto site or near some buildings. On top of which, officials have been instructed to not discuss sensitive information whilst inside such cars. To learn more, click this article link from The i Paper. NYBOLT RAISES INVESTMENTNybolt, who showed off a reworked Lotus Elise that was charged from 10-80% in under five minutes, last year has raised more money through external investment. Whilst we are all interested in the vehicle application, their core business is energy storage which has seen a jump in interest in. If you want to read more, click this Autocar article here. CHINA CLAMPS DOWN ON DRIVER ASSISTANCE ADVERTS Following the fatal accident involving a Xiamo SU7, which returned control to the driver just before impact, China has revised rules on driver assistance and autonomous driving technologies. Ads are banned from using “smart driving” and “autonomous driving”. OTA updates cannot be sent to existing cars without approval, public beta testing is banned, remote parking and summon features are banned and driver monitoring cannot be switched off. Click this article link from CarNewsChina for more. 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 NEWS - Mercedes-Benz G-Class ‘Stronger than the 1980s’Mercedes has revealed a special edition of the G-Class which evokes the original G Wagon of the very late 1970s and 80s. Styled with touches of the first models but with up to date technology and engines this will only cost from £152,815. To see more, including gingercators,
A little creepy - 15 April 2025
LOTUS CUTS MORE JOBSFollowing the announcement in November last year, Lotus are cutting a further 270 jobs in the UK. The proposal is claimed to be to “enhance competitiveness”. The jobs will be lost from the Hethel production facility and not the other two sites in the UK. If you want to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. ASTON MARTIN RESTRUCTURING FINANCES Lance Stroll is looking to increase his stake in Aston Martin, taking it to 35%. At the same time, the company is selling shares in the F1 team, to help raise further cash. You can read more, by clicking this Yahoo! Finance article here. STELLANTIS ENDS LEAPMOTOR PRODUCTION IN POLANDStellantis has suddenly and without explanation, ended production of the Leapmotor T03 in Poland. The company had already backtracked on opening a second Polish production facility, back in November 2024. If you wish to find out more, click this electrive article link here. AMPERE GETS NEW CEOLuca de Meo has handed over the running of Ampere to Josep Maria Recasens, who was the Chief Operations Officer. Ampere is the electric vehicle and software development spin off from Renault. de Meo was CEO of Ampere whilst being CEO of the Groupe Renault. Click this electrive article link to read more. LUCID WINS NIKOLA FACTORY AUCTION The bankruptcy auction of Nikola’s assets has enabled Lucid Motors to buy the production facility in Arizona. You can find out more, by clicking this TechCrunch article here. 6000 NEW PUBLIC CHARGERS FOR BRIGHTONChar.gy and Brighton and Hove city have penned a deal that means 6,000 new public on-street chargers will be installed. Char.gy takes advantage of utilising the greenest/cheapest grid production, with different costs depending on when you charge. You can read more, by clicking this EV Powered article here. GM AND CRUISE SUED BY INVESTORSInvestors have sued GM and Cruise, claiming that the companies overstated the capability and state of their autonomous project. The lawsuit contends that GM also asserted that the AV division was key to the financial performance of the company, with the company claiming $50 billion profits were expected by 2030. If you wish to find out more, click this GM Authority link here. HCVA LAUNCHES CAREERS HUBThe Historic and Classics Vehicle Alliance (HCVA), has launched a careers hub that will allow for a central point that will highlight job opportunities in the industry. To learn more,
Wasting your time - 9 April 2025
NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES MARCH 2025The March 2025 new car registration figures have been revealed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). They show an increase that you have to go back to 2019, to find bettered. Electric vehicles, unsurprisingly, increased as buyers tried to avoid the new VED and luxury car tax. Private, on the one hand, had a surprising jump but then not when thinking about the tax changes. This is expected to be a bit of a one off month, with the numbers next month being a lot lower. Click this link to read more, from SMMT’s own article. UK GOVERNMENT TINKERS WITH ZEV The UK Government has announced changes to the requirements of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. These add up to tinkering. Finally, we get a decision on hybrid vehicles post 2030, where they will still be sold. Small manufacturers will be exempt from the requirements. All OEMs will be given more flexibility in achieving the required target rates, with the CO2 credit transfer system remaining in place until 2029. In reality though, as we continue to be in a cost of living crisis and vehicles are too expensive, trying to mandate a market will remain difficult. You can read more, by clicking this Autocar article link here. CAR BRANDS AND TRADE BODY FINED BY CMATen car companies and the SMMT have been fined by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for agreeing to not compete with each other when advertising the amount of recycling that could be achieved with their cars. Additionally, the second charge was for anticompetitive practices when it came to recycling end of life vehicles. Following an admission to this, they are to pay £77 million in fines. In Europe a similar investigation has found 15 brands guilty and they will pay £382.7 million, as a consequence. To find out more, click this Autocar link here. MCLAREN MERGES WITH FORSEVEN TO SECURE FUTUREMcLaren has merged with Forseven, to create McLaren Group Holdings, thereby securing its immediate future. Both entities are owned by CYVN Holdings, which is the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund. Forseven has a raft of vehicles almost ready for production but needed a badge to stick on them. Click the EVO article link here to read more. RENAULT AND NISSAN RESET PARTNERSHIP Renault and Nissan have renegotiated their partnership, following a few tumultuous years. Nissan will no longer contribute to the Ampere project, will rebadge the Twingo city car vehicle and have sold their joint-venture stake in India to Renault. If you would like to learn more, click this electrive article link here. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Nissan MicraNissan has revealed the first images of the new Micra, which is a rebadged Renault 5 EV. Once again the company revealed no details or specifications....
Newsvalanche - 1 April 2025
FOLLOW UP: SUNDERLAND NISSAN FUTURE SECUREFrançois Bailly, who is head of planning for Nissan, in Europe, has stated that the Sunderland plant’s future is “very safe” as they reveal images of the next Leaf and Juke EVs to be built there. However, the Qashqai EV is being delayed for market uncertainty reasons. To read more, click this Autocar article link here. US TO IMPOSE 25% TARIFFS ON IMPORTED CARS AND PARTSPresident Trump has announced tariffs on imported cars and parts, of 25%. This will increase the price of cars, to US consumers. This will also hit US based manufacturers, when the market is already struggling. Click this Autocar article to read more about the implications. Sam Lowe, who writes about EU and UK trade policy, has looked into the announcement and has explained some of the nuance that might be lost in the mainstream coverage. Click here to read his Substack post. Meanwhile, the UK Government is in “intense” negotiations with the US over these moves, hoping to avoid being hit. To read more, click this Autocar article link. UK SPRING STATEMENT REACTIONThe car industry has reacted to the UK Government’s spring statement, and it is not happy. Seemingly, when the leaks made it clear they were going to remove benefits from those most in need, some in automotive land thought that there would be financial incentives for wealthy private buyers to get new shiny cars or for incoming taxes to be postponed. If you wish to read more, click this article link from Motor Trader. UK VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY CHANGES COME INTO FORCEThe UK Government’s changes to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) came into affect on 1 April 2025. There is an inflationary increase to all levels, but additionally some cars previously exempt from VED as well as the Expensive Car Supplement, will now be covered. This includes electric cars and those first registered back in 2017. On top of all that there are changes to the van excise duty and pick ups. To find out more, click this article link from Ayvens, which explains all the issues well. JIM ROWAN LEAVES VOLVO Jim Rowan, the Volvo CEO for the last three years after moving from Dyson, has left the company with immediate effect. His replacement is the former CEO, Håkan Samuelsson, on a two year interim basis. You can read more, by clicking this Autocar link here. WAYNE GRIFFITHS LEAVES SEAT AND CUPRAMore changes to the heads of brands, this time, the surprise announcement that Wayne Griffiths is leaving the Seat and Cupra brands. He has managed to keep Seat relevant, in the face of the VW Group’s inability to work out what to do with it, and brought Cupra from nothing into a rapidly expanding brand. To find out more,
Tough on - 25 March 2025
FOLLOW UP: RECALL FAILURE HIGHLIGHTEDAuto Data Solutions (ADS), data analysts, have reported on their Freedom of Information request regarding how many cars and vans have been repaired following manufacturer recalls. Between 2018 and 2023 announced recalls, 3.2 million vehicles are still to be fixed. ADS suspects the number is actually higher. Click this Motor Trade News article link for more. COUNCILS TOLD TO REPORT POTHOLE REPAIRSThe UK Government has stated that, from 30 June 2025, local councils must report back to them the number of potholes they have repaired in order to continue to receive highways funding. To read more, click this article from Autocar. EMPLOYEE CAR OWNERSHIP SCHEME TO ENDThe UK Government is expected to close what it believes is a loophole, with ending the Employee Car Ownership Scheme (ECOS). This allows the employee of a manufacturer or dealership to buy a brand new car at a large discount, pay very little to no interest and hand it back after six months, whilst getting another. As the employee “buys” the car it isn’t covered by benefit-in-kind requirements. To read more and find out the impact this might have, click this Autocar article link here. BYD HAS NO UK FACTORY PLANSBYD has made it clear that it will not open a factory in the UK, due to what it says are the limitations of the manufacturing base, including a lack of workers. They will be building a factory in Hungary though. You can read more, by clicking this Autocar article link here. AUDI TO CUT 7,500 JOBS TO SAVE CASHAudi is the latest OEM to announce a huge cost cutting initiative that will include the loss of jobs. To save $1 billion a year, they will cut 7,500 jobs by 2029. Click this Autocar article link, to read more. ARNOLD CLARK EXPANDING CHARGING NETWORKArnold Clark has announced they are investing a further £30 million to expand their rapid EV charging network by doubling in size. Following their original announcement, nearly two years ago, they have installed 240 charge points to date. To learn more, click this electrive article link here. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Renault 5 Turbo 3ERenault has shown off their electric hyper hatch. The 5 Turbo 3E is due to arrive in 2027 and will have 533bhp. Only 1980 examples will be built, which is the year the original 5 Turbo came out. Maximum range is expected to be around 250 miles however, it is not clear how much this is reduced by enthusiastic driving. No price has been announced. You can read more,
Wombles and Hobbits - 18 March 2025
FOLLOW UP: NISSAN LEADERSHIP CHANGESThe turmoil at Nissan continues, as CEO Makoto Uchida announces he will resign and Ivan Espinosa, the chief planning officer, will step up into the vacated role. That is the fourth CEO in six years. Click this AMOnline article link to read more. FORD INJECTS $4.8 BILLION INTO EUROPEAN OPERATIONSFord has been forced to help the European division, a separate company, by investing up to $4.8 billion, as debts reach $5.8 billion. Unions are very fearful that the company will go bankrupt. If you wish to learn more, click this Reuters article link here. FIAT UK MAKE MANAGEMENT CHANGESAh, the carousel that is Stellantis management positions, in the UK. This time Fiat are making changes, with a new head of sales and a new head of marketing. Neil Heilbron will be heading up the sales function and Victoria Hatfield in charge of marketing. You can read more, by clicking this AMOnline article link here. MIDLANDS CHARGER NETWORK TO EXPAND BY 16,00013 local authorities have been allocated up to £40 million, via a Government grant, to install a further 16,000 charge points across the Midlands region. Apparently, this more than doubles the provision. To find out more, click this EV Powered link here. MOTO INSTALLING 300 HGV CHARGERSMoto, the motorway service station operators has announced that they will be installing 300 eHGV charge points across the UK in the next five years. Click this EV Powered article link here, for more. M56 TO GET NEW SERVICE STATIONThe M56, near Tatton, will get a new service station in the mould of the one at Tebay, following approval of the planning permission. There will be a farm shop, 100 bed hotel and the usual provisions one would expect. If you wish to learn more, click this Manchester Evening News article link here. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Mercedes CLAMercedes has taken the wraps off the new CLA, a four door saloon, which will come in electric and hybrid forms. The EV has a claimed maximum range of up to 495 miles, with Mercedes making the further claim that it will do 421 if driven just on the motorway. Hybrids are supposed to give us diesel like mpg figures. Click this Autocar article link to learn more. Toyota C-HR+Toyota has revealed the C-HR+, an electric SUV that
Perfectly reasonable - 11 March 2025
NEW CAR REGISTRATIONS FEBRUARY 2025The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has published the latest new car registration figures. Once again it is not great news overall, with a 1.0% decrease. However, BEVs are up 42% year-on-year but this is just 6253 extra electric cars. For the first time since October 2023 Private rose, but only marginally as Fleet decreased but is still doing all the heavy lifting. Interestingly Tesla registrations rose 21%. To read more, click this link to SMMT’s post. MOTABILITY POSTS BIG LOSSES FOR 2024Motability, the UK’s biggest fleet operator, that supplies cars to those who qualify for disability payments, posted a loss of more than £565 million for 2024. This is a huge drop from 2023, when they had profits of £748 million as well as a rise in revenue of 24%. Blame is being put on insurance, servicing and new car costs rising dramatically, with the additional penalty of depreciation being more than expected. If you want to find out more, click this Autocar article here. EU TO CHANGE CO2 AIMS AND PUSH FOR FANTASY TECHThe EU has announced the Automotive Action Plan. In their industrial strategy they will be targeting aspects to help the industry on the continent. CO2 targets are due to be relaxed, a push on charging infrastructure, incentives to buy EVs, help with battery raw materials and autonomous driving technology. Click this electrive article link here, to read more. KIA MANAGEMENT PLAYS MUSICAL CHAIRSKia UK is the latest company to play managerial musical chairs, with the head of sales and head of marketing swapping offices. You can read more, by clicking this AMOnline article link here. SELF DRIVING CARS CANNOT BE MADE TO WORKAn article in The Register, covering how academics are able to fool self driving car technology by adding simple stickers to road signs. In the piece they actually make it clear that the current development process will never work. Click this link to read it and understand the issue. 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 NEWS - Volvo ES90Volvo has unveiled their flagship electric saloon. Using a lot of the same stuff as the EX90 SUV, except 800V architecture instead of 400V. Prices are expected to start around £70,000 and run up to £90,000 for the top of the range Ultra spec. Two battery packs are available which give a variety of performances depending on configuration. Range of the smallest set up is expected to be a maximum of around 400 miles. Click this Autocar article to read more. Volkswagen ID.Every1Volkswagen has shown off the concept for their small, affordable electric car. Called the...
Please sir - 4 March 2025
FOLLOW UP: A CORRECTIONLast week, during the discussion on the Kia PV5 Andrew moved onto a matter that was tangentially related as it concerned the coverage of the Government announcing the extension of the plug-in grant for electric vans. However, in how he moved to that and the editing after, Andrew inadvertently gave the impression he was attacking the Professional Van outlet and their writers. That was not the intention and we apologise for how that segment came out. It has been removed.ASTON MARTIN CUTS JOBS IN COST SAVINGS PUSHAston Martin has cut 170 jobs as it looks to cut costs following a disappointing 2023. Hit by supply chain issues production was down and therefore so were deliveries to customers. The company is aiming for £25 million savings annually. To read more, click this link to a BBC News article. STELLANTIS PROFITS FALL 70%Stellantis has released information on their 2024 performance and it is bad. Net profits fell 70% on those of 2023. With an operating income down 80% for just the US market alone. Whilst in Europe it fell 63%. Much of the blame is put on an ageing line up, with much of the hope resting on the new cars coming out. If you wish to read more, click this AMOnline article link here. NISSAN CANCELS NIGHT SHIFT AT SUNDERLAND PLANTNissan has announced that it is cancelling one of the night shifts at the Sunderland plant, as it looks to save costs globally. Click this BBC News article link here, for more. SKODA TO SLASH WORKFORCE BY 15%Skoda is the latest brand to announce it is reducing it’s workforce. 15% of the 41,000 employed positions will go through natural fluctuations, the company stated. For more information on this, click the link here for a Yahoo!Finance article.PORSCHE REPLACES BOARD MEMBERSPorsche has decided the fault of increased costs and sales falling, is due to the chief financial and the marketing and sales directors. They have been now replaced, with Jochen Breckner now in charge of finance and IT, whilst Matthias Becker will be heading up sales and marketing. To read more on this, click the Autocar link here. ITALIAN REGULATORS INVESTIGATE MISLEADING EV INFORMATIONThe Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) and the Italian financial police (Guardia di Finanza) are investigating BYD, Stellantis, Tesla and the VW Group over claims of misleading information regarding their electric vehicles. Driving range, battery degradation and warranty information are all being questioned. If you want to learn more, click this CarScoops article link here. LIVERPOOL TO GET 58 ELECTRIC DOUBLE DECKERSLiverpool City Region Combined Authority has ordered 58 electric double deckers, from Alexander Dennis.The Department for Transport’s...
And the handcuffs - 25 February 2025
FOLLOW UP: DAZZLING HEADLIGHT RESEARCH RESULTSThe College of Optometrists, working with the RAC, has conducted research into if headlight dazzle is a problem. The results from the first research suggest there is, particularly for under 35s and those not in SUVs. If you wish to find out more, click this article link from the College here. FOLLOW UP: AUTOPIAN THINKS APPLE SHOULD BUY NISSANMatt Hardigree makes the case, in The Autopian, as to why Apple should buy Nissan. He does however admit that he’s not using logic. Click this link to read more, if you so wish. RENAULT SHARES BATTERY SUPPRESSION SYSTEM WITH INDUSTRYRenault has developed a system to allow for EV and hybrid battery fires to be put out quicker than is currently possible. An access port has been added to the battery pack which will be opened by the pressure of a fire hose, enabling water to get directly into the battery cells and cover them with water. Renault has named this the Fireman Access system and is sharing it with the entire car industry. To read more on this excellent move by Renault, click this Autocar article here. BMW PAUSES INVESTMENT IN OXFORD EV PLANTBMW has paused the planned £600 million investment in the Mini Oxford plant that would enable EVs to be made there. They have cited “multiple uncertainties facing the automotive industry" and not taken up a £60 million grant from the UK Government, as a result. If you want to read more, click this BBC News article link here. BRAKE DUST PARTICULATE TOXICITYResearch from the University of Southampton has suggested that brake dust particulates, when the brakes have copper as part of their construction, is more damaging than diesel vehicle emissions. Removing copper from the brakes drops this. Click this Top Gear article link to read more. FAKE SPEAKERS IN SOME CHINESE VOLVOSCustomers in China have discovered that some of them have fake Bowers and Wilkins speakers fitted, as the displayed names are Bowers and VVilkins. Not only that but the drive selector is not as advertised by Volvo. This is embarrassing, to say the least. To find out more, click this Ars Technica article link here.TESLA AUTOPILOT RULED DEFECTIVE IN GERMANYA German court has agreed with a Tesla owner and ruled that the company’s Autopilot was defective, due to phantom braking issues. Either the owner is to be fully compensated or have their Model 3 replaced with a car that has non defective Autopilot. You can read further on this, by clicking the link here to a CarScoops 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
Easy to say - 18 February 2025
FOLLOW UP: COURTS REFUSE GOVERNMENT REQUESTThe UK’s Supreme Court has blocked the Government’s attempt to reduce the compensation due to those sold finance for their car purchase. The fear was it would stop or reduce car loan availability. We now wait until April to find out the final ruling. Click this BBC News article to read more. ASTON MARTIN GIVEN DEADLINE TO BE FIXEDAdrian Hallmark, the new CEO of Aston Martin, has outlined that the company must be “going in the right direction’, in terms of towards profitability in the next 12-18 months. Aston will not be following a volume model, but one where they maximise the profitability from each vehicle. If you wish to learn more, click this CarScoops link here. For the more bizarre ideas from Aston Martin, you can click this Top Gear article link to read further. NISSAN CANNOT GUARANTEE SUNDERLAND FUTUREAs the fall out of the collapsed merger continues to rain down, one step Nissan is taking is to continue it’s global cost saving exercise. Unfortunately, that means the Sunderland facility is under threat as three international plants are earmarked for closure. This is a step up on November’s original announcement, where only job losses were thought to be enough. If you want to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. PORSCHE TO REDUCE WORKFORCEAnother car company not immune from the issues of the industry, Porsche has announced that it will be reducing the workforce by around 1900 staff. The expectation is this will be achieved by natural retirement and turnover. Some reports suggest 1500 positions will also go for temporary staff. This is the latest in a number of announcements from Porsche that show just how badly hit they are. Click this electrive article link to learn more. NEW UK CAR PARK GUIDANCE ANNOUNCEDOn Monday 17 February new guidance came into affect, from the new organisation, the Private Parking Scrutiny and Advice Panel (PPSAP). They have brought in a rule that offers greater protection to those struggling to pay upon arrival at a car park, if they are privately run and use ANPR or CCTV to enforce and monitor parking. To read more on this, click here for an article link from Motoring Research. CONIGITAL GOES INTO LIQUIDATIONConigital, once heralded as beacon in the UK autonomous vehicle world has called in a liquidator as it voluntarily folds. This is after the company claimed to have raised £500 million from a private equity group. However, the UK Tech News outlet was suspicious of this and published an article back in June 2024 questioning the validity of this claim. Click this article link to read about that. Then, click here, to...
Written in crayon - 12 February 2025
FOLLOW UP: NISSAN HONDA DEAL OVER ALREADYBefore it even really got going, it appears Nissan are to walk away from the deal as Honda are accused of changing the agreement, with a proposal that made Nissan a subsidiary and not equal partner. When you look at the market evaluations of them, you can see why Honda may suggest they are the bigger company. Click this Autocar article link here to read more. FOLLOW UP: VAUXHALL LUTON TO SHUT BY JUNE 2025Stellantis has confirmed that the Vauxhall Luton plant will close by June this year. The announcement of the closure came in November 2024, with this one now being the specific date. Ellesmere Port will continue to operate. For more on this story, click this Autocar article link here. JANUARY 2025 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESThe Society of Motor Manufacturer and Traders has revealed the new car registration figures for January 2025. They are down over all, but BEVs are at 21% market share. Unfortunately, Private is still down with Fleet doing all the heavy lifting. Many “commentators” have tried to tie in Tesla’s drop to the CEO’s actions in the US, but this is not the case due to the length of time it takes to get a delivery from order, especially if specific options are wanted. Click this SMMT article link to read more on the state of the market. STELLANTIS RESHUFFLE CONTINUESLinda Jackson, the CEO of Peugeot, will retire as the reshuffling of Stellantis management continues, following the departure of the previous CEO. To read more, including other moves, click this Autocar article link here. MOT CHANGES WORRY INDUSTRYA new change expected to MOTs, where any recalls that have not been completed must be noted as either an advisory or fail, is worrying the industry. The fear is this could overwhelm workshops as there is an estimated 5 million vehicles on the road with recall work to be performed on. If you wish to find out more, click this AMOnline article link here. BID TO STOP GHOST MOTSThe DVSA is taking the next step in using photographic evidence, in a bid to prevent ghost MOTs. These are where a workshop gives an MOT without even seeing the car. Following an initial trial they are now working on honing the process of confirming the car is in the garage and being inspected. Click this article link from the UK Government. ELECTRIC VAN MOT PROBLEMFleet operators are asking for an approved deferral for electric van MOTs as they need to be handled at a commercial vehicle testing station due to their weight. As they fall into the heavy goods vehicle category, they must be tested at one year. However, the Association of Fleet Operators seems to...
One of our strengths - 4 February 2025
FOLLOW UP: MERCEDES JOINS EU TARIFF LAWSUITBefore we had even managed to publish last week’s show, Mercedes-Benz had joined the lawsuit against the EU over Chinese made EV tariffs. Click this Bloomberg article link to learn more. US PAUSES TARIFFS ON CANADA, MEXICO AND CHINA GOODSThe US has paused imposing 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 10% tariff on Chinese made goods. Even though this has not gone through, the chaps explain the consequences should they come to pass, on the US car manufacturing industry, dealerships and buyers. To find out more, click this electrive article link here. UK GOV INVESTS IN CHARGING AND MININGThe UK Government is investing £65 million in Connected Kerb, who provide on street parking charging solutions. On top of this, £28 million is being invested in Cornish Metals, who mine minerals for EV batteries, solar panels and more besides. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. JLR PROFITS DROP DUE TO CHANGE OF DOMINANT MARKETJLR’s most dominant market is now the US, instead of China. With a weak pound against the dollar, the two factors have reduced the year-on-year profit for the company. Another impact was warranty costs. However, they did take in a record revenue, along with an improved profit margin. Click this Autocar article link here for more. MOST RECALLED CARS OF 2024Once again the annual list of shame comes out, where the car brands that were recalled the most in Europe has been published. To find out more, click this Autocar article link here. PROPOSED ASTON MARTIN MUSEUM CANCELLEDA proposed Aston Martin museum, in Newport Pagnell, have been cancelled due to the costs of the project. The Aston Martin Heritage Trust could not find a commercial partner for the museum. If you want to learn more, click this BBC News article link here. HALF OF YOUNG PASSENGERS KILLED IN UK WORE NO SEATBELTThe shocking statistics from the Department for Transport show that 43% of young people who are killed in vehicle incidents are not wearing a seatbelt. To read more about this horrifying data, click this ETSC article link here. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Fiat Grande PandaFiat has revealed the full specs and prices for the Grande Panda. It will undercut the sister car from Citroën, the eC3, with a price of £20,975. The 44kWh battery has a maximum range of 199 miles and is able to charge at up to 100kW. There is also a petrol hybrid version. Fiat is making the Panda a model range all of...
My cheerfulness tonight - 28 January 2025
FOLLOW UP: GOVERNMENT INTERVENES OVER FINANCE SCANDALThe Chancellor of the Exchequer has written to the Supreme Court to ask them to not penalise car dealers and finance companies too much, for breaking common law. To read more, click this AMOnline article link here. For more context on how we are at this point, click this link here, from The Conversation. FOLLOW UP: WESTERN AND CHINESE EV MAKERS TAKE EU TO COURTBMW and Tesla has joined with BYD, SAIC and Geely to challenge the tariffs imposed on EVs made in China that are brought to Europe. They are arguing that the rates imposed are unfair. If you wish to read further on this, click this AMOnline link here. FOLLOW UP: NHTSA BLUECRUISE INVESTIGATION SHOCKSThe investigation into Ford’s hands-off eyes-on driving system, called BlueCruise, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US, has found that the system does not detect stationary vehicles when the car is going over 62mph. This has been implemented to try and prevent false positives being sensed and thus “phantom braking”. Click this Autoevolution article link for more. FOLLOW UP: GOVERNMENT BACKS GREATER MANCHESTER PLANSThe UK Government has assessed and approved the proposed plans from Greater Manchester, to reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air. This will take place without the need to charge drivers for a Clean Air Zone, as so many other cities have chosen. If you would like to learn more, click this article link from BBC News, here. VW GROUP DITCHES AGENCY MODEL FOR EVSIn the UK, the Volkswagen Group will end its use of the agency model, where they sell directly to customers, for their electric vehicles. They are the latest in a number of companies to make this move. Click this Auto Retail Agenda article to read more. SUBARU HACKEDEthical hackers found a vulnerability in Subaru’s StarLink connected service that allowed them to access incredible amounts of data and even control some functions of cars remotely. This has now been patched and we have only found out after the fix was deployed by Subaru. If you want to learn more, click this link to Sam Curry’s post detailing what he did and found. WAYMO HACKEDJane Manchun Wong, a security researcher, found a hidden element of the Waymo app that allowed her to change what the top dome, on the roof of their vehicles, displayed. Waymo have now closed this off to ‘normal users’. If you want to learn more, click this TechCrunch article link here. MANY THINGS HACKEDPwn2Own Automotive 2025 took place over three days last week and found 49 unknown vulnerabilities in software for head units and EV chargers, including...
Make your own up - 21 January 2025
FOLLOW UP: BT ENDS EV CHARGER PILOTAfter converting just a single junction box to enable EV charging, BT has pulled the plug on their project. Originally touted as having a potential to convert up to 90,000 cabinets, the company is focusing on improving wifi provision for EV chargers. To learn more, click this Autocar article link here. FOLLOW UP: FTC SUES JOHN DEERE OVER REPAIR MONOPOLYIn the US, the Federal Trade Commission along with Illinois and Minnesota, have taken John Deere to court over claims of a monopoly on repair to their equipment. The claims explain how due to only John Deere being able to fix farm machinery their is a loss of earnings as the farmers have to wait for a technician. This has potential knock on for the motoring industry. Click this 404 Media article link, to read more. EV POWERTRAIN FACTORY TO BE BUILT IN SUNDERLANDA company owned by Nissan, Jatco, will build a factory in Sunderland that will produce the car company’s next generation EV powertrains. The UK Government is investing £50 million in the project. If you want to read more, click this Autocar article here. STELLANTIS UK MANAGEMENT CHANGESStellantis UK have made changes to their management team, again. This time Nicola Dobson will head up Peugeot. Giuseppe Cava will be the MD for Fiat, Fiat Professional and Abarth. Damien Dally will lead the Leapmotor brand. Nick Richards will be the director of pre-owned vehicles. Tom Ray is in charge of business-to-business for all brands. To learn more, click this AMOnline link here. FTC BANS GM FROM PASSING DRIVER DATA ONFor the next five years, GM is banned from passing driver data onto consumer reporting agencies, in the United States. Additionally, they must make it clear what data they do collect and give people choice over if it is collected and used. Click this article from the Federal Trade Commission for more details. HINO SETTLES US EMISSION BATTLEIn the United States, the Toyota subsidiary Hino, has settled with regulators an emission scandal involving their diesel engines. Fined $1.6 billion, plead guilty and banned from importing their engines to the country for five years. Amazing what happens to non-US companies, compared to their own. Click this BBC News article link for more. CANOO FILES FOR BANKRUPTCYThe EV startup, Canoo, has filed for bankruptcy after it failed to find further funding. To find out more, click this TechCrunch article here. CHARGE CAR HAS BEEN BOUGHTThe collapsed EV restomod company, Charge Car, has been bought and resurrected, by a consortium who plan to follow through on the program of building electric Mustangs. If you wish to read more,