Motoring Podcast - News Show
Motoring Podcast
Updated about 24 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)
Providing clarity - 30 July 2024
NEW ICE ONLY CAR SALE BAN TO BE 2030 IN UKThe Department for Transport has stated that they will ‘provide clarity’ by announcing that new internal combustion petrol and diesel only cars will be banned from sale in 2030. Further details will be issued in ‘due course’. Questions are being raised over vans, which are not mentioned. To read more, click this FleetNews article link here. STELLANTIS PROFITS HALVEDStellantis revealed their first half financial results and they were bruising. A reduction in sales and that they are going through a big model refresh, across their brands, contributed to this. CEO Carlos Tavares has announced he would be reviewing all brands and threatened to close down those that are not profitable. He also stated that the UK’s zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate was damaging the company and unfair it did not take into account that they built such vehicles in the country. Click here to read about the profit issues via this Autocar link. To read more about the UK and how that has proved tricky for the company, click this AMOnline article link. If you wish to consider which brand or brands may go, click this Autopian link as they run through those under the Stellantis group. FORD POSTS SMALLER THAN EXPECT PROFITSFord also announced their financial results for the last quarter, which did not meet the expectation of many. They put the less than hoped for numbers down to the huge expense of repairing vehicles under warranty. On top of that the Ford model e division, for electric vehicles, operating loss was another $1.1 billion. Click this Reuters article for more information on this. Click this Jalopnik article to read more about the warranty costs for Ford. SOME WELSH ROADS WILL REVERT TO 30MPHThe Welsh Government has announced that it has put aside £5 million for some roads to be returned to a 30mph limit where councils think the new law was inappropriately applied. This is following “feedback”. If you wish to read more on this, click the Wales Online article link here. NEW SPANISH CAMERA CATCHES SPEEDERSA new camera system, to be rolled out across Spain, detects if a vehicle bakes heavily before a speed camera and accelerate quickly after. Any vehicles spotted doing so can result in a €600 fine and 6 pints being added to the driver’s license. The cameras will be fitted anything up to one kilometre either side of the traditional...
Measuring stick - 23 July 2024
NEW CTO FOR RENAULT GROUPPhilippe Krief will become the chief technical officer for the Renault Group on 1 September 2024, taking over the role from Gilles Le Borgne. Krief will continue his role at Alpine. To learn more, click this YahooFinance link here. NEW EU TYRE RULES COME INTO FORCENew rules for tyres, from the EU, mean that they will need to have the same wet braking standards new as when they have 1.6mm tread left. This will increase safety and also it is hoped will mean drivers do not swap to newer tyres before they need to. The idea might mean that production CO2 emissions will be cut by up to 35 million tons. There is no confirmation the rules will be adopted in the UK. Click this EVO article link to read more. LIDL TO ENABLE EV CHARGING PAYMENTS VIA LOYALTY APPLidl is the first UK supermarket to allow for EV charging payments to be made via their loyalty app. They have approximately 370 charging points across the country. If you want to learn more, click this link from EV Powered. ARRIVAL BUYS 51 VOLVO ELECTRIC BUSES FOR LONDONServicing just two routes Arrival will add 51 new electric Volvo double decker buses for Transport for London. To be fitted with the biggest battery capacity these will help improve air quality along the routes. You can read more by clicking this electrive article link here. TVR FACTORY NO SHOW TO COST WELSH TAXPAYERS MILLIONSDue to TVR Automotive not using a site earmarked for their factory, in South Wales, the Government of the principality could be out of pocket to the tune of nearly five million pounds. TVR are now looking to located somewhere in Hampshire. Click this AMOnline article link to read about this story. 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 - Audi A5Audi have revealed their new replacement for the A4 saloon and Avants. Now named the A5, due to a change in their policy, this will be longer and wider than the previous model. Additionally the interior is heavily revamped with liberal use of screens. Powertrains will be petrol, diesel, mild hybrid and a PHEV. A S5 is also coming. Click this EVO link to read more. Renault Traffic E-TechRenault has revealed details of their mid sized van, the Traffic, in EV guise. A maximum range of 186 miles, with an ability to fully charge in about an hour on a 50kW DC charger. The vehicle can carry a...
Woke up angry - 16 July 2024
UK CAR FACTORIES HALVE CARBON EMISSIONSThe UK car manufacturing industry has managed to cut carbon emissions by half in the past 25 years. On top of which, water use has dropped significantly. This comes from the SMMT’s 25th annual Sustainability Report. If you wish to learn more, click this AMOnline link here. JLR SALES INCREASEJLR, in the last quarter, saw their sales to dealers (wholesale) rise for the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The reason being given is the new body shop opening at Solihull. The Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Defender made up 68% of wholesale numbers. Foreign markets such as China and particularly the US also grew. Click this Autocar article link to read more. They also announced that the Jaguar lineup will be cut down to just one model, due to lack of profitability. Only the F-Pace will be sold by the Jaguar brand until they announce their new models, aimed at the luxury market. If you wish to learn more, click this AMOnline article link here. RENAULT OFFERS EV CONVERSION TO MASTER OWNERSOwners of Master III vans are being offered a conversion to EV, by Renault in France. At a cost of €26,900 + tax the vehicles will have a maximum range of 124 miles. This is significant saving on a new electric van, but with a limited range. To read more about this, click here to go to an electrive article. AUDI MAY CLOSE BRUSSELS PLANTDue to a lack of sales, of the Q8 e-tron, the future of the VW Group plant in Brussels is under consideration, with the ultimate move being to close it and stop selling the model. Whilst Volkswagen Group has just announced it is investing heavily in Rivian, it has financial issue to sort as they and shareholders lower their earning expectation. Click this Reuters article link here to read more. US STUDY QUESTIONS SAFETY CLAIMS OF ADASA study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS), in the United States, has questioned how effective some of the advanced driver assistance systems actually are and if they do mitigate road incident rates. This covers technology which claims to be partial automation, not crash avoidance such as automatic emergency braking. Their conclusion is that partial automation adds nothing when it comes to additional safety. You can ream more, by clicking this link from IIHS here. To read the TechRadar piece associated to this, click here. NEW CAR THEFT ATTACKS HIT HYUNDAI AND OTHERSWith the...
Negative Nelly - 9 July 2024
FOLLOW UP: CHINESE BUILT EV TARIFFS COME INTO EFFECTThe interim tariffs, from the EU on Chinese built EVs, has come into effect. Some of these have been tweaked, with Geely’s penalty dropping a fraction. The EU also published a document to explain who was hit by what and why. To find out more, click this Reuters link here. SAIC have asked for a special hearing with the EU as it states some of its evidence has been ignored. SAIC are the hardest hit of all companies, with a 37.6% additional cost added to all their vehicles. To read more, click this Reuters article link here. China has imposed stricter control on some rare earth material, which might impact those importing from China. Click this electrive article link here, to read further on this. There are signs that the tariffs are having one intended consequence, with Smart considering building a production plant in Europe. You can read more, by clicking this Autocar article link here. BYD are ahead of all others though, as they announce an agreement to open a factory in Turkey, a deal worth $1 billion. Click this BBC News article link to read more. EUROPEAN GSR2 COME INTO FORCEThe European General Safety Rules 2 (GSR2) have come into force now, with systems such as intelligent speed limiters being fitted to all cars in the EU, including Northern Ireland. This will mean that UK cars will also have them fitted but they are not legally required. If you wish to read more, click this EVO article link here. JUNE 2024 NEW CAR REGISTRATIONSJune saw another month of flatline registrations, with a 1.1% increase on 2023. However, BEVs did take a market share of 19% for June, raising it to 17.9% for the year to date. However, Private registrations are dropping, worryingly so, yet again as the market share decreases 15.3% for the month, with it now down 12% for the year to date. A reminder, salary sacrifice is not a private registration, no matter how hard you really wish it was. Click this link from the SMMT to read more. To read the article from Matt Prior explaining who will end up paying for the mandate policy, click this Autocar link here. Autocar also have an Editor’s letter for the new UK Government, with recommendations on how they can help the car industry. Click this link to read that. EVS TO PAY LONDON CONGESTION CHARGE IN 2025Since 2020 Transport for London (TfL) have confirmed that EVs will pay the congestion charge from the end of 2025. Apparently, many have discovered this widely known news and are shocked. If you wish to learn more,
Inster-gram - 2 July 2024
FOLLOW UP: ARAMCO FINALLY AGREE TO HORSE STAKEThe joint-venture between Geely and Renault, for engine technology, called Horse, has finally managed to get Aramco on board as the third partner. They are expected to take a 10% share in the company. To read more, click this link to a Reuters article here. VW THROWS $1B LIFELINE TO RIVIANVolkswagen and Rivian announced a partnership, with VW investing $1 billion initially into the US EV start up. The German company has stated it wants access to the battery technology and full software stack Rivian has developed. A further $4 billion could come from Volkswagen if certain criteria are met. This helps Rivian survive a little longer, but raises big questions about CARIAD. Click this Tech Crunch article link for more. Click this Christiaan Hetzner Twitter thread for more about CARIAD and why the deal brings it’s existence into question. If you would like to read more about Rivian’s ambitions, click this autoevolution article link here. STELLANTIS THREATEN TO CLOSE UK MANUFACTURINGStellantis’s UK managing director has stated that they will make a decision in “less than a year”. They want help from the UK Government, including incentives for private buyers to encourage more EVs to be bought. On top of that, more is demanded for businesses to encourage them to buy more EV vans. To read more, click this article link from The Guardian. RENAULT UK GET A NEW MDRenault UK has announced that Guillame Sicard will take up a new post in Renault France, with Adam Wood becoming the managing director on 1 October 2024, as well as the country manager for Renault Group. Click this AMOnline article link to read more. PEUGEOT UK GET A NEW BOSSAs Adam Wood has resigned from his position as managing director of Peugeot UK and moved to Renault UK, Eurig Druce who was vice president of Stellantis Sales. To read more, click this AMOnline article link here. NEW CAR PARK INDUSTRY CODE OF PRACTICEThe car parking industry, in an attempt to avoid direct intervention by the UK Government, has announced a number of new standards they will work to from the autumn. However, the whole industry does not need to be compliant until December 2026. Motoring groups have stated how little this does to change the situation. You can read more by clicking this BBC News article link here. SUGGESTION ON DEALING WITH CAR WEIGHT INCREASEA group of academics have...
Think its my age - 25 June 2024
FOLLOW UP: EU AND CHINA AGREE TO TALKThe EU and China have agreed, following a call over the weekend, to start a consultation into the issues around Chinese made battery electric vehicles. China wants the tariffs halted during this time but the EU has rejected this. Click here, to read more from Politico. DR FINED FOR CLAIMING CARS ARE MADE IN ITALYStellantis is not the only company getting into trouble, whether real or manufactured, over if their cars are made in Italy or not. DR Automobiles is to be fined €6 million, following an EU anti-trust probe, finding the cars are originally made in China but finished off in Italy. DR will be appealing the decision. To read more, click this Autocar article here. BMW CANCELS NORTHVOLT BATTERY CONTRACTBMW announced that it is cancelling a $2 billion battery cell contract with Swedish firm Northvolt, as it could not meet the timescales agreed in 2020. In the statement they went on to say they’d both agreed to focus on the next-generation battery cell work. If you wish to learn more, click this Reuters article link here. GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING ADDING ADAS CHECKS TO MOTThe UK Government is beginning to investigate if driver assistance technology (ADAS) should be added to MOT checks. Also, if it should, then how to test them. This is complicated topic as some aspects are to be mandated as fitted where previously they have not been. The Government has admitted it is difficult to know how many cars are fitted with exactly what, partly thanks to the different names each OEM gives the technology. Click this AMOnline article link to learn more. WRIGHTBUS TO MAKE DIESEL BUSES EVSWrightbus has unveiled a new service, called NewPower, where it converts diesel buses into electric ones. The price starts at £200,000, which is a lot less than a new electric bus. You can find out more, by clicking this electrive article link here. NEW CATERHAM FACTORY INCREASES CAPABILITIESCaterham has opened its new factory, which gives it 50% more capacity. The CEO, Bob Laishley, says this means they will not need to turn customers away. A new maximum of 750 cars can b built annually, thanks to an increase in build stations. To read more, click this Autocar article here. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Volvo V60 and V90Volvo is reintroducing the V60 and V90 estates to the UK new car market, following an increase in demand. The V60 will come with hybrid and PHEV options, whilst the V90 will only be a PHEV. Prices are yet to be announced. This time, we had all better go out and buy them or they will go away again.
There and back again - 19 June 2024
FOLLOW UP: SURPRISE EU TARIFF RATESThe EU has announced the rates for interim tariffs on Chinese made cars coming to the continent. These are surprisingly high, in some cases. The differences per brand is due to the level of cooperation they provided the investigators and what state aid they receive. To read more, click this Politco article link here. To read another interesting article from Politico, explaining how the EU’s moves are very similar to those China made decades ago, click this link here. FOLLOW UP: WAYMO UPDATES SOFTWAREWaymo has updated the software for its autonomous cars, with the hope that it now can spot and avoid obstacles such as telegraph poles. We wait, with bated breath, as to what the next “edge case” might be. If you wish to read more, click this link from The Register. FOLLOW UP: JLR INVESTING £1M TO COUNTER CAR THEFTSJLR is allocating £1 million to help counter car thefts in the UK. Some of the money will be used to provide the police with more assistance, the rest will be to pay for a new policing unit, who will gather intelligence on car crime. You can find out more, by clicking this link here to an AMOnline article.FOLLOW UP: FISKER APPLIES FOR BANKRUPTCY Succumbing to the inevitable, Fisker has announced it has applied for bankruptcy protection, in the US. As our Lunchtime Read last week outlined, the company has been hit by mismanagement from the outset which became increasingly worse as they approached making an actual car. Click here to read more, from Autocar. MI5 NEEDS CAR TECHNICIANS FOR ITS FLEET MI5 has a job opportunity for a ‘vehicle technician’, where the successful applicant will be expected to perform routine servicing through to rebuilding transmissions. If you wish to learn more, click this Garage Wire article link here. DUNDEE INSTALLS FIRST RETRACTABLE EV CHARGERSUEone is operating 18 7kW on-street chargers across the city of Dundee. These chargers, when not in use, sink so that their top is flush with the ground, until activated. The idea is that it frees up the pavement, for users, when not being used. To read more, click this article link from EV Powered.SURREY COUNCIL INSTALL SOLAR POWERED EV CHARGING STATIONSurrey Council have installed a pre-fabricated solar powered EV charging station, that will be able to charge up to 12 EVs at seven, 11 or 22kW simultaneously. Similar set ups have been installed at Silverstone and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. If you wish to read more, click this Current 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
Car data influencers - 11 June 2024
FOLLOW UP: JLR SPEEDS UP SECURITY UPDATE FOR OLDER CARSJLR is speeding up the software updates to older models of the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands. These are cars built after 2018. Owners of such cars are urged to get in touch with JLR so their vehicles can be updated. You can learn more by clicking this AMOnline article link here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES MAY 2024The UK’s new car registrations rose just 1.7% year on year. That was thanks to another very strong showing from Fleet. Private declined, whilst Business rose 290 registrations. BEVs also increased, now up to 16.1% market share in 2024. The Ford Puma maintains its position as the most registered car in 2024. Click here to read more on this, from SMMT. SAFETY TEST SCANDAL HITS JAPANESE CAR MAKERSToyota, Honda, Mazda and Yamaha Motor have all been implicated in a new scandal, this time covering safety testing accreditation. They have been found to have submitted incorrect or manipulated data. Some shipments have been ordered to be paused. On site inspections have occurred at Toyota, Honda and Mazda. Click this Reuters article link to learn about the story. For more on the extra raids, click this link from The Japan Times. FORD EUROPE BOSS RETURNS TO VW GROUPMartin Sander, who was general manager for passenger cars at Ford Europe, has left the company and will join the board of the Volkswagen brand for sales, marketing and after-sales. He was only in position for two years at the American company. If you wish to learn more, click this electrive article link here. 20MPH LIMIT IN WALES CUTS INSURANCE CLAIMS One insurer, esure, is stating that the drop to a 20mph limit in built-up areas of Wales has caused a 20% reduction in vehicle damage claims. You can read more on this by clicking this link to an article from The Guardian. INSURANCE COSTS CAUSE YOUNG DRIVERS TO GO WITHOUTA study by IAM RoadSmart has found the number of uninsured young drivers has rocketed in the last few years, mostly blamed on the huge increase in insurance costs. There are calls for Government intervention to reduce the costs. To see some of the eye-watering premiums, click this Autocar 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 - BMW 1-seriesBMW has revealed the new 1-series and a new model naming guidelines. Gone is the use of ‘i’ for petrol models, as ‘i’ refers to BMW’s electric models. There will also be a new top of the range M135, that’s got less power, is slower but apparently much...
Tax registration and blergh - 4 June 2024
FOLLOW UP: FCA PERMITS GAP INSURANCE AGAINThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has given permission for companies to sell GAP insurance once again, following steps to make it fairer to customers. Those selling the insurance will need to demonstrate they are following the new rules and then they will be allowed to resume their offering. If you wish to learn more, click this AMOnline article link here. FOLLOW UP: SPOTIFY OFFERS REFUNDS ON CAT THINGAfter hearing our damning criticism of their actions over the Car Thing, Spotify have offered refunds to owners of the gadget. No, actually, that isn’t what happened. As they face a lawsuit from owners they have heard the general outcry and are trying to repair some of the reputational damage. Click this TechCrunch article for more information. FOLLOW UP: RENAULT-GEELY HORSE FINDS A HOME IN LONDONThe joint-venture between Renault and Geely, for working on ICE and hybrid powertrains, has opened their HQ in London. The plan is for them to supply their own companies, as well as others, with the developed technology. You can read more, by clicking this Reuters article link here. BENTLEY ANNOUNCE NEW CEODr. Frank-Steffen Walliser will be Bentley’s new Chairman and CEO, following the departure of Adrian Hallmark who is moving to Aston Martin. Walliser has been a key part of Porsche’s development of road cars, their racing ambitions and special projects such as the 918 Spyder. He will start his position on 1 July 2024. If you wish to read more, click this EVO article link here. HMRC ADVISORY FUEL RATES CUTS EV RATEHMRC has released the new advisory fuel rates, giving ICE a rise but cutting EVs. Even before the cut, the reality of how drivers will be out of pocket if they drive an EV has been repeatedly stated, especially if the driver does not have a home charger. To find out more, click this Business Motoring article link here. GREAT WALL TO SHUT EUROPEAN HQGreat Wall, the owners of the Ora EV brand, are closing their headquarters in Munich and will be making 100 employees redundant. This also is a signal that their plans for expansion are on hold. The company claims it will continue to serve markets it has already entered, but now from China. Click this electrive article link to read more. GENEVA MOTOR SHOW ENDS FOR NOWGeneva motor show organisers have confirmed that the show will not return anytime soon. Citing car company’s lack of interest and outside influences. Seemingly they have forgotten price gouging hotels and outrageous fees to display. But this will be a loss for the public, despite what motoring journalists and PRs might be cheering. To read more on this, click the Autocar article link...
Nationalistic ranting - 28 May 2024
FOLLOW UP: NHTSA INVESTIGATES MORE WAYMO INCIDENTSThe National Highways and Transport Safety Administration (NHTSA) are investigating further incidents involving Waymo vehicles. The nine extra are focused on stationary or semi-stationary items such as gates, chains and utility poles. If you wish to learn more, click on this TechCrunch link here. FOLLOW UP: CAR THING TO BE BRICKED BY SPOTIFYAfter the huge fuss made on its launch, by Spotify, the Car Thing will be bricked by the company as it moves on from it. This was a device you bought and had to subscribe to Spotify Premium, fitted to your car interior, to allow you to play some tunes and if you could see it enable Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In 2022 they confirmed they were stopping production, just a couple of months after it going on general sale. Click this Ars Technica article link here, to read more. UK APPROVES NEW SELF-DRIVING LEGISLATIONThe UK Government has gained the royal signature for the Automated Vehicles (AV) Act. This brings into law, for the first time, that car makers will be held responsible for their vehicles if it is being used in autonomous mode and not the driver. You can learn more on this, by clicking this AMOnline link here. BMW, MINI, VW AND JLR FITTED PARTS BANNED IN USAA US congressional investigation has discovered that BMW, Mini, Volkswagen Group and JLR sourced parts from Chinese suppliers that contravened the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, even after they were made aware. VW replaced the parts on the US dockside, before they were allowed to be handed to customers and dealers. To read more, click this article link to The Guardian. JLR TO ASSEMBLE CARS IN INDIAIn order to help with the increasing demand for their vehicles in Asia, JLR will be assembling Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports at the Tata Pune plant. Other models have been handled in this way since 2011. Click this article link from Autocar for more. ITALY IMPOUNDS FIAT TOPOLINOSFiat Topolinos, their version of the Citroën Ami, have been impounded in Italy after they were found to have the Italian flag on their wings and it was seen as suggesting that the car was made in Italy, rather than Morocco where it is actually made. Click this Top Gear link to read more on this silliness. BYD ELECTRIC BUSES EXPECTED TO REPLACE LONDON DIESELSBYD unveiled their BD11 double-decker, which it is expected will be seen on the streets of London soon. They will come with a usable battery capacity of 457kWh and a range of up to 400 miles. This is much more than the expected daily mileage of buses. If you want to read more,
Abstract whatboutery - 21 May 2024
FOLLOW UP: EU TO IMPOSE TARIFFSEU politicians have indicated that they will impose tariffs between 25-30% on Chinese EVs imported to the European Union. This comes after the US raised their tariff level to 105% for Chinese EVs. The move has been expected but the amount was not known. This has brought out divisions within the EU as France and Germany have very different home industries. If you wish to learn more, click this electrive article link here. FOLLOW UP: CRUISE AGREE PAYOUT TO PEDESTRIAN VICTIM Cruise, the self-driving development company, has agreed to pay the victim of the road incident that involved her being dragged and severely injured by the car, between $8 and $12 million as compensation. Exact details have not been confirmed. Click this Market Watch article link for more. FOLLOW UP: TESLA BEING SUED OVER SELF-DRIVING CLAIMSA US judge has stated that the class-action against Tesla, with regards to pursuing over negligence and fraud based claims. The original claim is, apparently, due to the 2016 video which the actions states falsely advertised what Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) can do. To learn more about this matter, click here for the link to the Jalopnik article. DEATH BY DANGEROUS CYCLING TO BECOME LAWThe UK Government has announced that “causing death or serious injury by dangerous or careless cycling is set to become an offence”, as reported by the BBC News site. This change in the law will also come with a potential punishment of up to 14 years in prison. Click this link to read more. FTC WARNS CAR MAKERS OVER DATA COLLECTIONIn the US the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned car manufacturers on their practices over collecting data on their vehicles and occupants. They explain how serious they are by citing several recent cases where they have fined companies for “the illegal collection, use, and disclosure of their personal data." Good. To read more, click this announcement link from the FTC.MINI CEO STEPS DOWNStefanie Wurst, the CEO of Mini, is stepping down and will be replaced by Stefan Richmann, head of BMW Group corporate strategy, on 1 August 2024. There have been no reasons given for this change. Click this Autocar article link for more. NHTSA INVESTIGATES WAYMOOnce more in the US, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is finally investigating Waymo about its vehicles not obeying traffic laws. The countless videos on social media showing examples of this, must have made them wake up. Waymo have tried to suggest the incidents are statistically insignificant. Zoox is also under investigation. Cruise has announced it will resume testing in Arizona with a safety driver in attendance. To read about Waymo, click this article link from The Register. For further context, click this link to a piece
The legal episode - 14 May 2024
FOLLOW UP: CAZOO TO ENTER ADMINISTRATIONThe online car retailer has taken the step to announce that it will appoint administrators for its subsidiaries to help protect them from creditor’s debt enforcement. Cazoo also stated, to investors, unless it found urgent investment it would fold. You can read more, by clicking this AMOnline article link here. FOLLOW UP: TESLA AUTOPILOT UPDATE INVESTIGATEDThe National Highways Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has written to Tesla seeking answers as to why their cars still keep crashing after the update to their driver monitoring system. Tesla has until 1 July 2024 to respond or face potential fines up to $135 million. If you wish to learn more about that, click this article link from The Register. That is not all the news for Tesla though, US prosecutors are investigating the company over potential securities and wire fraud, over the capabilities of its driver assistance technology. This is purely an investigation and does not show any guilt, to be clear. On top of which, any prosecution would have to show a company deliberately inflating the capabilities rather than being optimistic about the future and failing to achieve that. Click this Reuters article for more. FOLLOW UP: JLR OFFERS CONTRIBUTION FOR OWN INSURANCEAs part of the continuing battle to counter the issue of high costs of or even refusal for insurance coverage JLR has now added a £150 per month contribution, if they take out their bespoke version. This will last for three years. To learn more about this story, click this AMOnline article link here. FOLLOW UP: DAIHATSU RESTARTS PRODUCTIONDaihatsu has finally restarted production in all four of its Japanese plants, following the safety test fraud scandal. Changes have been made to production, development the numbers of safety testing staff. If you want to learn more, click this article link from The Japan Times. APRIL 2024 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESNew car registration figures for April 2024 has shown a 1% year on year. Fleet is doing all the lifting as Private registrations drop 17.7% year on year. BEV is up again, but only 15.7%, as petrol declines slightly and diesel drops further. Plug-in hybrid and hybrid share increases. SMMT are calling, once again, for help from the Government in a variety of ways that would encourage private buyers to purchase an electric car. Click here to read more, from the SMMT article. Manufacturers are becoming increasingly vocal on the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate and how unworkable it is currently. With some suggesting they will pull out of the market, throttle combustion engine sales and more. Fleet customers are also being threatened, told they must purchase a certain percentage of EV in their order. To read more on this, click here for an article from The Guardian. If you wish to learn more about
Air and unicorn - 7 May 2024
FOLLOW UP: EU WARNS OVER LACK OF COOPERATION WITH PROBEThe EU has accused BYD, Geely and SAIC of not providing enough detail for their investigation. Due to this, apparent, lack of cooperation the tariffs that will be imposed are going to be higher than they might have been. The timing of this is important as the Chinese President is visiting Europe imminently. Click this article link from Politico for more. FOLLOW UP: MORE TESLA CUTSTesla is reported to be cancelling the ‘ground-breaking’ “gigacasting” plans, which were to start with an underbody made in a single metal sheet. There were many in the industry who were questioning if this could be made possible and if there were consequences to doing so, outside of manufacturing. The news is on the back of a tumultuous time for the company following the announcement of cuts to the workforce. If you wish to read more, click this link to an InsideEVs article. FOLLOW UP: FIRST BY CABINET CONVERTED TO EV CHARGEREast Lothian is the location for the first BT cabinet to be converted to enable EV charging. The pilot will allow local residents to use it for free until the end of May. You can learn more by clicking this EV Powered article link here. AUTOCAR GREAT WOMEN AWARDS 2024 WINNERSAutocar have held the celebratory event for their Great Women Awards 2024, with Lisa Brankin, the Chair and managing director, Ford of Britain and Ireland winning the overall accolade. Congratulations to all those nominated and who won their categories. You can read through the article telling all about the event by clicking this link here. FRENCH CAR INDUSTRY GIVEN NEW TARGET BY GOVERNMENTThe French car industry has reached an agreement with their Government to increase EV sales fourfold by 2027. They have also been instructed to produce two million electric and hybrid vehicles annually, by the end of the decade. If you wish to read more, click this link from Reuters. PARTS BEING STOLEN FROM VEHICLESVolkswagen owners are the latest to be hit by selective thefts of car parts, rather than the entire car, as technology, the cost of living crisis and safety regulations all drive up costs. In this instance, the radar sensors which are incorporated into the front grille badge, have been taken. This is an ongoing issue and has hit many car companies. Click this article from The Guardian, to read more. ELECTRIC CAR MISINFORMATION CONSEQUENCESAn electric car owner, who was visiting the Liverpool hospital Alder Hey, was asked to park in one of the outside spaces as the multi-storey car park was having improvements made to the sprinkler system and during that time EVs were not allowed to use that specific area. This is all fine, but the reasoning was due to EVs ‘spontaneously combusting’ which is untrue but a consequence of all the misinformation posted by the media and individuals. All those who talk about cars need to do better, need to combat untruthful info, no...
G What? - 30 April 2024
FOLLOW UP: CONTINENTAL FINED $107M FOR DIESELGATEContinental, the automotive parts supplier, has been fined €100 million for its part in the dieselgate scandal. The fine was such due to the full cooperation of the company and changes they have subsequently made to their compliance structures. There are six weeks for Continental to pay the fine. Click this Reuters article for more information. STELLANTIS LASHES OUT AT EV MANDATESCarlos Tavares criticises the current UK EV mandates as “terrible”. He has met with the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, to discuss the situation and suggest alterations that will make it more workable for the industry. We are finding out that you cannot just manufacture demand, when reviewing the monthly SMMT registration figures. You can read more, via a Peter Campbell thread here. For another article, click here to view an Autocar article. LOTUS CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER IS LEAVINGMike Johnson, who is the chief commercial officer of Lotus and the public facing executive for the brand, will be leaving the company after only 18 months in role. He is said to be staying in automotive, but we will have to wait to find out where and when. If you wish to read more on this, click the Autocar article link here. RANSWOMWARE ATTACK IMPACTS STREET LIGHTSA ransomware attack on Leicester City Council has led street lights to “misbehave”. This should cause great concern as more and more systems are linked and accessible remotely. Hopefully, more important and safety critical systems are being looked at across the country so there is not a serious impact from such incidents. Click this BitDefender story link here, to read more.MERCEDES EACTROS 600 CHARGES AT 1MWMercedes-Benz are preparing for the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), that is due to be finalised in 2025, and have successfully charged an eActros 600 prototype at 1MW for the first time. Not details were given on how long the vehicle charged or even how long at 1MW. You can read more, by clicking this electrive article link here. SAMSUNG TEASES FASTER CHARGING LONG LIFE BATTERYAt the 37th Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exposition, in Seoul, Samsung revealed that they will start production of a new electric vehicle batteries that will charge to 80% in nine minutes and some will last 20 years. The plan is for production to start in 2026, but it being fitted to cars in 2029. That’s all a little way off, hopefully this isn’t like solid state batteries and just far enough ahead for us to forget the last date that was declared. Click this article link from The Register 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...
So is duct tape - 23 April 2024
FOLLOW UP: WALES TO CHANGE SOME ROADS BACK TO 30MPHKen Skates, the Welsh Government Transport Secretary, has announced that some of the road limits recently changed from 30mph to 20mph, will now revert back to the original limit. This is an acknowledgement that the implementation of the reduced road speeds has not been as carefully executed as should have occured. If you wish to learn more about this story, click this BBC News article link here. UK GOVERNMENT RULES OUT GRANTS FOR EVSThe UK Government has reiterated that it will not be providing incentives for private buyers seeking an EV. This follows calls from the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee’s Electric Vehicles report, which recommended several actions. Click this Autocar article link, to read more. BIT OF A WEEK FOR TESLATesla have decided to step up to the plate of not having the best week imaginable. Firstly, they announced the sacking of over 10% of the global workforce, as one step to deal with their declining sales. You can learn more about that, by clicking this Reuters article link here. Secondly, the company has quickly recalled all Cybertrucks following the news that the accelerator pedal cover can become loose and potentially cause the pedal to be jammed down. We applaud Tesla for quickly reacting to this news, though. To read more, click this article link from The Verge. Finally, the company announced a new raft of price cuts to it’s models. Reminding all fleet operators why they will not be buying Teslas in the future, where dependency on value is a must. Click this article link from The Guardian for more. JLR 2023 SALES UPNow that JLR can get its hands on parts, once again, it has increased its sales in 2023 by 22%. Much of that was from the Defender, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. However, there is also good news for Jaguar as its sales are up too. If you wish to find out more, click this Autocar article link here. JLR UNVEILS ENERGY STORAGE SOLUTIONJLR, in partnership with Alley Energy, has revealed their portable Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) which incorporates used PHEV batteries from Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports. Click this press release from JLR to learn more, including how they propose to use it. VW WORKERS IN US VOTE TO UNIONISEFor the first time, the US car workers union, UAW, has been voted for by workers in Tennessee at a Volkswagen plant. The south of America has attracted manufacturing plants due to previous anti union sentiments, but this seems to be changing. You can find out more, by clicking this article link from The Autopian. VW IN COURT OVER ID NAMEA former supplier to Volkswagen,...
The week that was - 16 April 2024
FOLLOW UP: BYD HELPED BY CHINESE GOVERNMENTA report is claiming that BYD has received $3.7 billion, in funding from the Chinese Government, to help it to reach its dominating position. This is all part of the EU’s investigation into whether companies from the country have an unfair advantage thanks to state aid. Click this Yahoo Finance article link for more information. FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT SITE TO BE SOLD BY COUNCILThe site of the ill-fated Britishvolt battery factory is to be sold by the local council, to a company that wishes to create a data centre, after the new ‘owners’ Recharge Industries, have still failed to pay the monies owning. If you wish to learn more, click this BBC News article link here. WLTP DOES NOT REFLECT REAL WORLD USE REPORT FINDSTwo reports from the European Court of Auditors have shown that the testing regime, WLTP, results, do not come close to real-world usage on the public roads. Other conclusions have also been inferred by the investigation, however we would urge caution as not enough detail has been provided in how the data was calculated and if that was correct or even valid. But, there are now calls for the system to change, once again, at a time when the car industry is under enormous pressure from multiple vectors. You can read more, by clicking this Autocar article link here. 2023 LOSSES FOR LOTUSLotus announced losses for 2023, of £594 million. Whilst this does sound a lot and quite scary, we must all remember the transformation that is undergoing the company right now. They are fundamentally changing how they do things and the cars they produce in an incredibly short period of time. For more detail, click this Autocar article link here. BIT OF A WEEK FOR STELLANTISStellantis, and in particular their CEO Carlos Taveres, had quite the last seven or so days. First off there was the public spat about the Italian Government trying to cosy up to foreign car companies, to encourage more manufacturing jobs in the country, which Taveres warned over such moves. You can read more, by clicking this link to a Reuters article. That’s not all though, Taveres then had to fend off questions over which brand or brands the Stellantis Group were going to ditch. He refuted these claims as “fake news”. Click this Autocar article link for more. You’ll have to wait till New New Car News for the third piece of Stellantis news. VW INVESTING MORE IN CHINAVolkswagen has announced that it will be investing $2.7 billion in a Chinese manufacturing site. This is quite odd, as only recently the “roof is on fire” speech from their CEO and huge cost-cutting efforts across the group. On top of which, there is ever...
Semantic boy - 9 April 2024
FOLLOW UP: RENAULT AND VOLVO GROUP PRESENT EV VAN JVFlexis is the name of the joint-venture between Renault, the Volvo Group and transportation company CMA CGM, that will develop EV vans aimed at urban and last mile deliveries. This will fill the gap in both Renault and Volvo’s offerings to the commercial vehicle industry. For more information, click this Autocar link here. TOYOTA UPDATES ON CAR THEFTSToyota GB has issues a statement regarding thefts of certain models and a fix that will be fitted by dealerships to affected vehicles. To read more on that, click this link here. Friends of the show Ken Tindell and Ian Tabor found the vulnerability over a year ago. Ken has written a post on LinkedIn that we recommend you read. Particularly the last sentence, which we echo and hope the car industry improves communication with security researchers. Click here to read that piece. MARCH 2024 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESThe Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has issued the registration figures for March 2024. They are up on 2023 but still significantly down on 2019. Fleet is propping up what growth there is as Private is down again. On top of that, the BEV registrations grew in number but market share dropped causing SMMT to call, once again, on Government assistance for Private buyers. Click here to read the information from SMMT. Also, the chaps want to thank the SMMT for changing the top ten model chart title to Best Models from Best Sellers, which they always grumbled about. INVESTIGATION INTO HEADLIGHT BRIGHTNESSThe RAC has been calling on the Government to do something about the number of complaints regarding dazzling headlights. The response, following a petition to Parliament, is that the Government will seek to investigate the issue and then be in a better position to propose a reaction if it is required. You can read more about this, by clicking this Autocar article link here. AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SOFTWARE IS HARDDevelopers in Australia has admitted defeat in trying to create software that would help vehicles avoid kangaroos. They state that the animals are too irrational to be able to do the job. If you wish to read more, click this Ars Technica article link here. Meanwhile, Bentley, sounding like they are actually trying to be safety first, announce they will not be pursuing Level 3 automation. They will, instead, release a Level 2 ++ system. The chaps get quite cross about this. Click here to read the Carscoops article. Andrew commented on this issue on LinkedIn, you can read that by clicking this link here. TIME RUNNING OUT ON EV CHARGER GRANTS An excellent article from EV Powered by
Cowey wowey - 2 April 2024
FOLLOW UP: LUCID RAISES $1B FROM SAUDI ARABIATHe luxury EV maker, Lucid, has received a further $1 billion in investment, from the Saudi Arabian sovereign fund, Public Investment Fund. They also increased the number of vehicles they expect to produce in 2024 compared to 2023, still only 9,000 cars though. If you wish to learn more, click this link to a Reuters article. FOLLOW UP: CANOO BUYS UP ARRIVAL EQUIPMENTThe bones of Arrival are being picked over as the administration team try to recoup as much money as possible by selling the assets off. Canoo has swooped in and bought a lot of equipment at bargain prices. Click this electrive article link to read more. JLR NAME THREE BRAND DIRECTORSJLR has named three new directors to head up the brands in the UK. Alan Nicholson takes the helm of Range Rover. Leonie Raistrick will be in charge of Defender and Discovery. Whilst Santino Pietrosanti will be brand director of Jaguar. Don’t forget to click this link, from AMOnline, to see even the directors are having to follow the dress code. FCA QUESTIONS INSURANCE WRITE-OFF VALUATIONSThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has expressed its concern that insurers are not correctly valuing vehicles that have been written off or stolen. Taking from customers both top and bottom, nice. They has stated they will take steps and do have powers to do so if the industry doesn’t sort itself out. Click this AMOnline article link to read more. For the article explaining the issue with Gap Insurance, click this AMOnline link here. CAMPAIGN TO REGULATE THE CAR RETAIL INDUSTRY Due to a “volume” of complaints, mainly around second hand car dealers and repair operations, the calls on the Government to regulate the car retail industry are getting louder. Recommendation includes a certification process, with minimum industry standards met. To read more, click this AMOnline article link here. RESEARCH INTO BARRIERS TO EV TAKE UPResearch, on behalf of Transport for the North, has been published with a list of factors that are putting people off making the switch to electric vehicles. This is not a hit piece or anti-EV, but a list of real concerns from real people. A very interesting read. If you wish to learn more, click this TransportXtra article link here. CONSULTATION OVER HYDROGEN FARM AND PLANT MACHINERYThe Department for Transport has opened a consultation on permitting hydrogen farm and plant machinery on the roads. To learn more, including the link to the consultation, click this Fleet News article link...
Handbag luxury - 26 March 2024
FOLLOW UP: RENAULT VOLVO JV FOR EV VANS IS ONLast week we discussed the Reuters article that stated Renault and Volvo will announce that their joint venture for electric vans will shut in early April. This turns out not to be the case. Thanks to Renault sources we can confirm the JV is still very much on. Click this article link from AMOnline to read more. FOLLOW UP: FISKER TALKS WITH NISSAN BREAK DOWNThe electric car company Fisker, has had their shares suspended following a huge drop in price after news that talks with Nissan had ended. The terms for the extra funding from an existing investor were dependent also on these talks continuing. The expectation is for the company to announce bankruptcy very soon. You can read more by clicking this article link from TechCrunch. FOLLOW UP: ASTON MARTIN NAME BENTLEY BOSS AS NEW CEOAston Martin name their next CEO, the boss of Bentley Adrian Hallmark. He has left the Crewe manufacturer with immediate effect and will start at Aston by the 1 October 2024. This will allow Amedeo Felisa to finally enjoy the retirement he was in before Stroll dragged him back into the automotive world. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. FOLLOW UP: MCLAREN OWNED BY BAHRAIN STATE FUNDThe Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat has converted shares from one form into ordinary shares thus taking the total shares in McLaren to 100%. This will make it easier for them to find a buyer, float the company on the stock market or create partnerships. For more to this story, click this Autocar link here. FOLLOW UP: INVESTIGATION INTO CAR FINANCE EXPEDITED The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced that the investigation into car financing practices between 2007 and 2021 will be expedited. However, this is dependent on the companies involved providing the information. The FCA hopes to state the next stages of this by September 2024. If you would like to read more, click this Motor Finance Online article link here. To check out the MoneySavingExpert help guide to see if you are eligible to claim, click this link here. FOLLOW UP: LUTON AIRPORT CAR PARK FIRE DUE TO DIESEL VEHICLEA joint report from Bedfordshire Fire and Police services has been released, with the fact that the fire was due to a faulty diesel vehicle and had nothing to do with any electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicle. Click this BBC News article link to read more. LUNAZ GROUP CEASES ALL OPERATIONSLunaz Group, which under two different companies, retrofits classic cars and commercial vehicles, with electric powertrains, has called in the...
Freedom episode - 19 March 2024
FOLLOW UP: RENAULT AND VOLVO TO SHUT EV VAN PROJECTRenault and Volvo will announce that their joint venture for electric vans will shut in early April. There is no detail on why this is. Click here for more information, via the Reuters article link. UK GOVERNMENT PREPARES TRADE SANCTIONS ON CHINESE EVSAt a SMMT conference, the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said that the UK Government could impose sanctions to prevent the market being unfairly in favour of subsidised Chinese electric vehicles. If you wish to learn more, click this AMOnline article link here. HONDA AND NISSAN SIGN MOU FOR EV DEVELOPMENTNissan and Honda have signed a memorandum of understanding, to investigate working together to speed up the development and production of competitive electric vehicles. They acknowledge that they are behind others, especially newer brands that have come to the market, purely focused on EVs. There are no details on what this partnership will entail. You can learn more by clicking this Reuters link here. EU TO ALLOW 60 TONNE LORRIES ON THE ROADSThe EU, has voted to allow ‘mega-trucks’, which are a lorry and trailer combination of just over 25m long and a weight up to 60 tonnes, on the roads of the continent. On top of this, the European Commission wants all countries to ensure it is legal for 17 year olds to be able to drive a lorry. Click this European Transport Safety Council article to read more on these insane ideas. POSSIBLE WIRELESS EV CHARGING BREAKTHROUGH Researchers in the US have built a wireless charging system that is 96% efficient and eight to ten times more power dense than existing wireless chargers. The charger had a five inch gap to the vehicle. This is still early days but could mean we are a step closer to the roll out of wireless charging for all. If you wish to learn more, click this InsideEVs article link here. JAGUAR CUTS OFF ACCESS TO SOME SMART CHARGINGJaguar has informed owners of the I-Pace that some chargers will no longer have access to smart charging, thus the charging times cannot be controlled. This does not effect all home chargers though. JLR stated that this was due to security and privacy issues. Click this Autocar article link here to learn more. FISKER AT RISKFisker, the US based EV maker, announced that it is in financial trouble, serious enough to make it public that it may have to go into receivership. The company had previously stated it was in trouble, but this announcement still came as a shock to many. If you wish to learn more, click this electrive article link here. Late yesterday, news came out that the company has paused production, for six weeks, as it gains $150 million extra investment from an exisiting investor. However, there talks are, apparently, underway...
Electric trolley problem - 12 March 2024
FOLLOW UP: EU CONSIDERING RETROACTIVE TARIFFS ON CHINESE EVSThe investigation, by the European Union, into if China subsidises the homegrown EV makers has, within an interim report, stated there is enough evidence to show there is unfair assistance. On top of this, imports have increased 14% since the investigation began. The fear is, if the rate of increase continues it will cause harm to the European market before the official conclusions come to light. If you wish to learn more, click this link to a Reuters article here. FOLLOW UP: VOLTA TRUCKS PRODUCTION TO BEGINFollowing the purchase of the bankrupt company, by Luxor Capital, news is released that they will restart production, in Austria, from May. The aim is for 500 vehicles to be made in 2024 and 2,000 in 2025. There are still questions about the batteries for the trucks after the previous supplier went into receivership and was bought by Volvo. Click here to read more, from electrive. CHANCELLOR ACCUSED OF IGNORING THE CAR INDUSTRYA large portion of the car industry convinced itself that the Government would offer any additional assistance to encourage the uptake of EVs, especially by private buyers. However, in last week’s budget announcement there was no additional help forthcoming. This caused an angry reaction, with many accusing the Government of ignoring the industry. For more on this story, including the background to it all, click this EVPowered article link. EU DEMANDS BUTTONS RETURN TO CAR INTERIORSThe EU, via soon to be announced new EuroNCAP criteria, has stated that car interiors must have physical controls for certain functions of the car. There is also a drive to reduce the number of screens within cars. If you would like to read further on this story, click the link here to The Verge article. FUEL PRICES ROCKET UPWARDS Now we talk about the rise in fuel prices, which was by the highest for two years, off the back of Red Sea disruption and retailers looking to maximise their profits. Click this Autocar article to read more.NISSAN ACCUSED OF UNDERPAYING SUPPLIERS IN JAPANThe Japanese Fair Trade Commission has accused Nissan of underpaying their suppliers for two years, but warn it could be much longer. The amount is in the region of $20 million and if true, is a clear abuse of power. For more on this matter, click this Nikkei Asia article link here. 57 NEW ELECTRIC BUSES FOR LEEDSFirst Bus has added 57 new electric busses to its fleet serving Leeds. Supplied by Wrightbus, who are providing a mix of double and single decker vehicles. Click this electrive article link to read more. CAZOO PIVOTS TO ONLINE ADVERTISINGCazoo is to sell off all its stock and no longer sell cars directly but become an online competitor to the likes of...
Butt of many jokes - 5 March 2024
FOLLOW UP: AGENCY MODEL CLARIFICATION Thank you to all who responded to Andrew’s request for more information on how the agency model works for car retails. We can now confirm, the query about who carries the financial liability, does in fact lie with the manufacturers now. To see who is moving to this model, click this link to an Auto Retail Network article. FEBRUARY 2024 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESSMMT has released the new car registration figures for February 2024 and they are the best in 20 years! Which caused us to raise an eyebrow or two. Battery electric cars are up, slightly, but still a long way off the 22% required by the Government mandate. Diesel is down slightly, with plug in hybrids also up a touch, but petrol is up again. Fleet is doing all the lifting and this is worrying the industry who renews their calls for help to incentivise the Private side of things. To read more, click this link to the SMMT article and details. POLESTAR SECURES NEW FUNDINGPolestar are plugging the gap left by Volvo stepping back from funding the EV company, thanks to a loan worth £750 million. According to the company, this will allow them to sell 155,000 vehicles and become cash flow even in 2025. If you wish to read more on this story, click this Autocar link here. US INVESTIGATING CHINESE EV DATA COLLECTIONThe US Government announced that it will be investigating Chinese electric vehicles to ascertain how much, what type of and where they send data. However, as there are so few actual brands allowed into the US this does feel part of the ongoing protectionism being demonstrated in North America. You can find out about this by clicking the link here to an electrive article. FISKER FINANCES UNSUSTAINABLE BUT NISSAN MAY HELPFisker announced how they were not confident they could last to the end of 2024, but a couple of days later it was revealed that they are in talks with Nissan over possible investment. This would give the Japanese company access to an electric pick up platform, which they do not have currently. Click this Reuters article for the original story. For details on the possible Nissan rescue, click this link to an Autocar article. THE POSSIBLE APPLE CAR PROJECT IS APPARENTLY SHUT DOWNReports were all over the internet stating that the secret Apple car project, allegedly called Titan, had been cancelled. But as the company has neither confirmed nor denied this, it is hard to tell if it was real or whether they were looking at specific technologies. For more speculation and the liberal use of the “iCar” click this link to an article from The Register. ASTON MARTIN CLOSES LAGONDAAston Martin confirmed that the Lagonda sub brand is officially no more. This surprised us, as we thought it had been killed off a couple of years ago. To learn more and look at...
Overly Cheesy - 27 February 2024
FOLLOW UP: VOLVO TO SELL SHARES IN POLESTARWe begin to get the answer of what difference Volvo cutting funding will mean to their Polestar relationship, as they look to offload a large portion of the shares they hold. The plan is to drop from 48% of shares down to 18%. For more information, click this electrive article link here. STELLANTIS TO CONVERT LUTON PLANT FOR EV VANSStellantis has confirmed that they will convert the Luton plant to enable it to build the Group’s electric vans. ICE versions will continue to be built along side the EVs, which will be produced from early 2025. If you would like to read more, click this Autocar link here. STELLANTIS UK MAKE MANY MANAGEMENT CHANGESStellantis UK managing director, Maria Grazia Davino, has moved quickly to make changes within the organisation and tying up with the larger group. This is all part of the efforts to improve relations with their dealer network and improve the outlook for the many brands. More details can be read by clicking this AMOnline link here. ASA STATES “ZERO EMISSION DRIVING” ISN’T MISLEADINGThe automated system the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) picked up a Ford advert for the soon to be released Explorer, which stated “zero emission driving” and pulled it for review. Following an investigation the ASA decided that it was okay to state this. As we are pedants on this show, we are looking forward to the agency learning about tyre emissions. If you wish to see the latest insanity from this organisation, click the link here to a FleetNews article. COMPANY GUILTY OF NOT ENSURING ILLEGAL CAR WOULDN’T BE DRIVEN ON THE PUBLIC ROADOnyx Performance, has been convicted of not ensuring that a car they modified, with a ‘pop bang’ map, new exhaust and removal of a catalytic convertor, was not to be driven on the public roads. This is the second company, in a few months to have been brought to court for the same issue. You can learn more, by clicking this AMOnline article link here. UK FUEL PRICES INCREASE QUICKLY ON RED SEA DISRUPTIONSurprising no one, is the news that the retail fuel prices increased astonishingly quickly off the back of the news of trouble in the Red Sea, even before the affects were really being felt. Whilst the wholesale price increased, the retailers have not passed on the buffer the Government has allowed them. Click this Autocar story link, for more on this. BBC REPORT INTO ETHNICITY INFLUENCING CAR INSURANCEThe BBC has reported, following their investigation, that there is evidence that car industry rates are affected by location and the percentage of ethnic minorities the location has. The industry strongly deny this claim. We are not...
Corporate tomfoolery - 20 February 2024
FOLLOW UP: CRUISE APPOINTS FIRST EVER SAFETY OFFICERIn a move that should have more people stunned, Cruise has announced their first every safety officer. Steve Kenner has worked at a number of places in the autonomous vehicle industry. Louise Zhang, who is a VP of safety and systems will remain in her role. Astonishingly. If you wish to learn more, click this TechCrunch link here. FOLLOW UP: FRENCH SUBSIDY FOR LOW INCOME HOMES HALTEDThe recently launched subsidy to help low income families into EV has already been halted, due to an overwhelming demand, according to French Government officials. They will be relaunching it in 2025. To read further, click this link to The Guardian article. GOVERNMENT U-TURN ON TAX OF DOUBLE-CABSIn a crazy few days, the UK Government went from declaring that double-cab pickup’s tax category was going to change to that of a car, but still be classed as a light commercial vehicle (LCV) from 1 July 2024, to u-turning and saying no they wouldn’t. This came around due to a court case where it was ruled that they have a dual purpose of carrying people and cargo, therefore cannot be classed as “primarily” transporting cargo. The reaction from the public was loud and angry. The blanket move, with what appeared to be very little thought on the use of these vehicles and who these changes would hit, was decried not just by management consultants, architects and dentists who would have to change their vehicle as the tax loophole closed, but by those who genuinely need a multipurpose vehicle. To see what the original issue was all about, click this link to a Professional Pickup article link here. If you wish to read about the u-turn and what that means, click this link here to a Broker News article. AUDI, PORSCHE AND BENTLEYS STUCK AT US PORTSThanks to Audi, Porsche and Bentley utilising components that are on the banned list, for the United States, their cars are sitting dockside waiting for replacement parts. The parts in question are claimed to have been sourced from companies operating in areas where forced labour is the norm, the Xinjiang province. VW Group claims it had no knowledge as it was part of a larger part and only found out due to information received. Click this Yahoo News article link if you wish to learn more. BMW LEAVES ONLINE STORAGE SET TO PUBLICA Microsoft Azure storage ‘bucket’ run by BMW was mistakenly left with access set to public, rather than private. This meant that anyone could have accessed the huge amount of code, credentials, data and information held. This is very similar to what happened with Mercedes a couple of weeks ago. There is no knowledge if this data was accessed by unauthorised persons. BMW stress that there was no customer data held or at risk. If you with to learn more,
Pronounce that very carefully - 12 February 2024
FOLLOW UP: ARRIVAL GOES INTO ADMINISTRATIONThe inevitable has happened at Arrival and the company has brought in receivers to try and sell on the company assets. Last year they announced they were focusing only on their large van, but this has not been produced. Claims of macroeconomic conditions have been laughed at, following the revelations of management and how the business was run. If you wish to learn more, click this article here, from The Guardian. ASA BANS ADS OVER ZERO EMISSION AND ULEZ CLAIMSThe Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has rapped BMW, MG and Transport for London (TfL) over advertising claims. BMW have been censured due to claiming its electric vehicles are zero emission, which the ASA said they were not due to electricity production and manufacturing not being such. MG were censured over including their hybrid models in an advert for zero emission vehicles. TfL fell foul over claims made about misleading adverts regarding the ULEZ and modelled data rather than actual data. To learn more about the manufacturer’s issues, click this AMOnline article. For the detail of the TfL ruling, click this BBC News article link. ASTON MARTIN IS SEARCHING FOR NEXT CEOAston Martin has begun the process of finding a replacement for Amedeo Felisa, the current CEO. Felisa is coming up to his 78th birthday, and has helped shaped the future of the company since taking over from Tobias Moers in 2022. If you would like to learn more, click this Autocar article link, here. HYUNDAI EUROPE HIT BY RANSOMWARE ATTACKHyundai Europe has admitted they have suffered a cyberattack. Through investigations by BleepingComputer, it is believed to be a ransomware attack and the up to 3TB of data has been accessed or taken. According to the outlet, this covers many different departments and companies in the group. Whilst Hyundai has not confirmed what type of attack, it is believed to be a ransomware one. Click this link to learn more, from a BleepingComputer article. ROLLS ROYCE SPECTRE RECALLED IN THE USA faulty ground connection cable has caused Spectres in the US to be recalled. There is a potential for an injury risk to technicians working on the car and in extreme cases for a “thermal event” or fire as we generally know it. Affected cars were built between October and December 2023. You can learn more, by clicking this article link from The Register. EUROPE’S MOST RECALLED CAR BRANDS IN 2023Autocar has listed the car brands that had the most recalls in 2023, for Europe. It must be remembered, the potential for recalls increases the more niches you wish to cover, not that its an excuse. Click here to run through an extra List of the Week.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...