Motoring Podcast - News Show
Motoring Podcast
Updated 3 days agoMotoring enthusiasts Alan and Andrew discuss their takes on the week's motoring news in this 45 to 60 minute audio podcast.
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Episodes (338)
Ignoring You - 15 November 2022
FOLLOW UP: MORE BAD NEWS FROM ARRIVALArrival announced that it has a cash problem, as in not enough to get it through to the end of next year. They are looking at cutting more costs, which is rumoured to include large layoffs in the UK as it focuses the operation in the US. To read more, click this article here from Yahoo Finance.FOLLOW UP: PORSCHE CLASS ACTION SETTLED IN USIn diesel gate news we find that a US judge has approved a settlement of $80 to $85 million for the class action brought against Porsche over emission tampering and misleading fuel economy information. Porsche also have to pay $25 million legal fees. There is also an extra $250 per vehicle that has Sport+ fitted. Further information can be found by clicking this Automotive News article link. EURO 7 ENGINE RULES ANNOUNCEDIf both manufacturers and environmental groups are both unhappy with the new regulations for Euro 7 internal combustion regulations, does that mean they are pretty close to being right? Manufacturers are shouting it is too tough and the environmental groups are screaming it is too weak. Click here to read the Autocar Business article about the proposals. For some more context, on one of the trickier parts, is a thread from Julian Rendell discussing the constant monitoring tech that does not exist, which you can read by clicking here. More context can be found in this excellent article from Emission Analytics, who talk about the balance the regulations have hit. Click here to read that. JLR REDUCES LOSSES IN LAST QUARTERThanks to the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, Jaguar Land Rover reduced their losses to £175 million, when £302 million the previous year. Sales were up to £5.3 billion, a jump of 36% on the three months previous and 20% on the same period last year. To read more about this click the BusinessLive article here. For some extra context, click the Tweet from Peter Campbell. CONTINENTAL DATA STOLEN IN HACKContinental, the Tier 1 supplier to much of the automotive and mobility industry, has been hacked by the group called LockBit. The group claims to be selling 40 terabytes of the company’s data to anyone willing to stump up $50 million. Continental stated it was hit in August this year but it had “averted” the attack, yet also confirmed to Handelsblatt business newspaper that data had been stolen. Not a great look when you desperately need to get your customers to trust you and your systems. This is potentially very bad for a wide range of mobility and automotive related areas due to Continental having a lot of fingers in a lot of pies. To read more about the incident,
Fewer Doom - 8 November 2022
FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT TEMPORARY REPRIEVEBefore we had even published last week’s show the news about Britishvolt had changed from receivership to saved. More details are now available, as Glencore have given the company a five week lifeline. Britishvolt has again asked the UK Government for an early release of £30 million in funding. To learn more about what has happened, click this Move Electric link here. Peter Campbell has produced a Twitter thread with more context and information, click here to read. The Guardian has an article asking if the Government is doing enough for the car industry, click here to read that. FOLLOW UP: ARRIVAL IN TROUBLEArrival, the EV light goods vehicle company, appears to be in more trouble than some thought. There has been a fire in one of their vans, there are reports of low moral and a company wide email from the CEO expressing his anger at leaks to the Financial Times. On top of that, some really silly management decisions such as thinking of opening an office in Mauritius and trying to develop an electric jet plane. For more click another Peter Campbell Twitter thread here. GHOSN’S RESCUE TEAM SENT BACK TO USThe father and son team who helped Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan have now been sent back to the US, where they will serve the remainder of their sentence. To read more, click this Bloomberg link here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES OCTOBER 2022The SMMT has released data on the New Car Registration figures for October 2022. They have risen 26.4% over 2021, but that was an appalling month. Battery electric vehicles were a big portion of the spike. Added to which the just announced canned Fiesta finally makes it back in the Top 10 Most Registered vehicles for the month, at No.1, pipping the Nissan CashCow by two! To read more about this, click here for the SMMT article link. ASTON MARTIN DOWNGRADES OUTLOOK FOR 2022CEO Amedeo Felisa has stated that supply issues and logistics are at the core of their problems that have led to them cutting back on forecasts for margins and deliveries in 2022. However, he went onto say that the steps being taken mean 2023 onwards will be much better. Share prices dropped on this news. Click here for the BusinessDay article to learn more. BENTLEY DOUBLES PROFITS IN FIRST QUARTERBentley has announced that it increased profits in the first quarter, thanks to sales improving in the US, Europe and the UK. These more than offset the drop in China, Middle East and Africa. New model derivatives and personalisation are the reasons why, according to the company. Learn more by clicking this BusinessLive link here. SAUDI...
Captain Delusional - 1 November 2022
FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT IN RISK OF RECEIVERSHIPThings are moving quickly at Britishvolt. A week or so ago we were talking about them seeking funding, as of Monday’s news, they could well have been in receivership by the time you listen to this episode. They had sought to draw some of their funding from the Government early but have been rebuffed as they decide not to risk more public money. However, it appears they do have some short and medium term funding secured, but we don’t know from where. To get an idea of what has gone spactacularly wrong, click this Twitter thread link from Peter Campbell. To learn how they have found some funding click this BBC News article link. EU BANS NEW ICE CARS FROM 2035The 27 countries of the EU have agreed to ban all new internal combustion engined cars, powered by fossil fuels, from 2035. There is also an increase in the reduction of CO2 emissions from 2030, up to 55% reduction on 2021 engines, where previously it was 37.5%. There are some exemptions though, for smaller production numbers. Those registering between 1,000 and 10,000 will be exempt until the end of 2035, whilst those registering less than 1,000 cars do not need to comply. Autocar has more information, which you can get to via their link here. FORD AND MERCEDES THE LATEST TO LEAVE RUSSIABoth Ford and Mercedes have sold their Russian facilities to in-country partners as there is no end in sight to the current geo-political instability, thanks to the invasion of Ukraine. Ford have paid a “nominal” fee and have a nice year buy-back clause agreed. We know very little of the details of Mercedes’s deal. Click here to access the Reuters article about the Ford story. For more on the Mercedes news, click this Reuters link. FORD AND VW PULLING THE PLUG ON ARGO AIArgo AI is an autonomous vehicle technology company founded in 2017. Ford and Volkswagen were their major investors but are now pulling their funding meaning that the company is closing. Argo AI were the only AV company who produced a safety case for their work, unlike all others in the industry. However, statements by Ford CEO has made it clear this would never succeed as board members still have no real understanding of what is and is not autonomous and automated tech. You can find out more by clicking this TechCrunch article link. GEORGE HOLTZ QUITTING COMMA AIGeorge Holtz, who rose to fame claiming he could write autonomous vehicle software until the US Government told him to stop experimenting on public roads, is leaving his company Comma AI. Recently he pivoted the business to target driver assistance technology and started to call those still attempting to create AVs as con artists. He stated that he is not the right person to now lead the company as it needs to be led, to ensure it is successful. More can be learnt about this, by clicking this The Verge link here.TESLA FACING CRIMINAL PROBE OVER SELF-DRIVING...
Departing Arrival - 25 October 2022
FOLLOW UP: US CITIZEN PLEADS GUILTY TO CAUSING DEATH OF HARRY DUNNA US citizen who initially claimed diplomatic immunity, Anne Sacoolas, has pled guilty to causing the death of Northamptonshire teenager, Harry Dunn after 3 years. She’ll be sentenced at the end of next month. More detail in this Guardian story.EU PLANS TO DITCH EURO 7The EURO 7 emissions standard is rumoured to be in doubt as it’s now felt that the cost and difficulty in implementing will far outweigh the benefits it’s expected to bring. This is, unsurprisingly, contentious. There’s an Autocar story with more details and an informed Twitter thread from Emissions Analytics on the subject.EXPANDED LONDON ULEZ RAISES OVER £90 MILLION IN 8 MONTHSIn the first 8 months since its expansion last November, London’s expanded ULEZ zone has raised £93.6 million in tolls but excluding late and non-payment fines. More in this Autocar article.STANDARD FOR EV CHARGE POINT ACCESSIBILITY PUBLISHEDThe British Standards Institute, in association with the UK Government and charity Motability, has published its first standard for the accessibility of public EV charging stations. This can’t come too soon. This Zap-Map article has more information.HYUNDAI PAUSING H2 LORRY TRIALS IN SWITZERLANDThe rise in electricity costs across Europe has caused Hyundai to pause its hydrogen truck trials in Switzerland due to a shortage of “green” hydrogen. Here’s the twitter thread containing the original report in German and also a link to the LinkedIn rebuttal/correction from Hyundai.DEPARTING ARRIVALFladgling commercial EV manufacturer, Arrival, is looking to “pivot” back tot the US and “right-size” the company according to Tech Crunch and others. This isn’t looking good. NOISE CAMERAS4 councils across England are looking to crack down on loud cars. Quite what constitutes “loud”, nobody seems able to say. Autocar investigated a little more.BENTLEY OPENS HERITAGE GARAGEBentley has gathered its collection of historic vehicles into a new Heritage Garage at its Crewe factory. The collection will be open to the press, VIPs and customers according to Hagerty.MOTORSPORT NEWSRally SpainRally Spain took place over the weekend. Seb Ogier was victorious and Toyota have taken the World Championship crown. Oh, and Ott Tanak is leaving Hyundai at the end of the season…Ogier...
Rollercoaster of Delights - 18 October 2022
FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT SEEKS EMERGENCY FUNDING[00:00:24] Britishvolt is searching for investors to plug a £200 million cash shortage it needs to survive until the summer of 2023. Nothing is ‘off the table’ as they look for anything from minority investors all the way up to new ownership. They currently have 300 staff, which is costing £3 million a month in wages, but are not expecting any income until at least 2025. To learn more about this story, click this Business Matters article link. NIKOLA FOUNDER GUILTY OF FRAUD[00:03:12] Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola electric lorry firm, has been found guilty on three counts of fraud relating to the business and tech of the company. The prosecution claimed he lied about the progress of their development, the capability and the deals done. The start of all this was the advert which Nikola claimed showed the vehicle running along the road, which was exposed as it being dragged to the top of a hill and rolling down. On january 27 2023 Milton will find out what he is sentenced to, out of the possible 20 years. For more, click here for the Engadget link. ELECTRIC MINI PRODUCTION MOVED FROM OXFORD [00:04:58] Oxford is losing the production of the electric MINI, but gaining the convertible version from the factory in Holland when the next generation comes along. However, tied in with the first story, this is another blow to the UK car industry. BMW state the plant needs investment and refurbishment, but a lack of battery production facilities in the UK must also be a factor. Click this link from The Telegraph to find out more. NISSAN EXITS RUSSIA[00:07:03] Nissan has agreed to sell its total operation in Russia to the Government backed company NAMI, for €1. On the upside, that is more than Real Alliance partner Renault got for AutoVaz. Nissan has a six month buy back offer, if the situation significantly alters. Only Mitsubishi, of the three Alliance members, still has any footprint in Russia. You can read more, by clicking here for the Forbes article. TRANSPORT FOR WEST MIDLANDS AND WAZE PARTNERSHIP[00:08:28] Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is partnering with Waze to help provide smoother travel across the region. With Waze providing real time traffic data, to help plug the gaps where WfWM is not monitoring, the expectation is that planners can better deal with planned and unplanned restrictions. Key to this will be how many actually use Waze in the area, who is passing what info to whom and has the small print been read? Click this Autocar link to read more. FUEL SHORTAGES IN FRANCE [00:12:57] France has introduced bans on citizens filling up any jerry cans at petrol stations as they endure fuel shortages thanks to strikes at six of the seven refinery plants. Making huge profits, giving the boss a massive pay rise and then telling staff there’s no money to pay rises hasn’t gone down well. The French Government has reclassified some staff as vital workers, who are key to the safety and ability of the country to function and therefore stating they cannot strike. The move, whilst understandable, has...
Single Bladder - 11 October 2022
FOLLOW UP: CLARIFICATION OF STROLL’S FORTUNEDuring the discussion of Geely buying a stake in Aston Martin, last week, we got the info about Stroll’s fortune incorrect. He has made his money through fashion and sportswear brands. Thanks to listener, David Edmondson, for straightening us out. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES SEPTEMBER 2022September’s New Car Registration figures are out. There is a rise, year on year, but do not forget, 2021 was the worst September since 2006 and down a third on 2019. Battery electric vehicles are up, though, just over 40%, and now have 14.5% market share. To read more, click here for the SMMT article. To see the breakdown via ‘what you put in it to make it go’, click here for Tristan Young’s Twitter thread. PERSONAL SAFETY STANDARDS AT EV CHARGERS DEMANDED Following an investigation in to the public’s thoughts on personal safety at EV charging points, the Government is being urged to set minimum standards. Lighting, CCTV and emergency call buttons are all being requested. You can read more on this, by clicking the FleetNews link here. DEALER PLUG-IN GRANT REINSTATED BY UK GOVERNMENTEarlier this year the Government announced, with immediate effect, the ending of the plug-in grant for electric vehicles under £32, 000. They have now reinstated the £1500 saving for orders placed via dealers, but not for consumers applying directly themselves. The new window runs until 31 March 2023 and is due to supply constraints. More can be found here, by clicking the Autocar link. CITROËN OFFER REWARDS TO PHEV USERSSimilar to the BMW scheme, Citroën is offering rewards to users of their PHEV models who regularly charge their car and take advantage of what they offer in terms of electric only running. Details are yet to be released on exactly how the point system will work, but it is expected to start next year. For more, click the Autocar article link here. VW SIMULATING IPOS FOR OTHER BRANDSAfter the initial move of the Porsche IPO, the rest of the VW Group is now “simulating” IPOs for their specific brands. Following this test run, information will be presented on a market day. Click here to read the Reuters article further. NISSAN WANT RENAULT TO REDUCE STAKEDuring discussions between Renault and Nissan, over the hoped investment by the Japanese company in the new electrification unit also included a request that the French firm sells as much of its stake in Nissan as possible. More can be read here,
Sucking Through My Teeth - 4 October 2022
FOLLOW UP: PORSCHE TAKEOVER CASE DISMISSEDA court in Germany has dismissed the claims for compensation by hedge funds, relating to the failed attempt by Porsche to takeover VW, which resulted in them then being taken over by Porsche. The judge decided there was no merit, whatsoever, whilst the plaintiffs have already appealed and asked for certain judges to be excluded. More information can be found, by clicking this Automotive News Europe link here. PATIENT GEELY BUYS STAKE IN ASTON MARTINGeely are not a company to be denied, it would seem. After a couple of failed attempts in buying out or taking a stake in Aston Martin, they finally managed it by purchasing 7.6% shares in the UK firm. To read more, click here for the AM Online article link. GOVERNMENT ROAD INCIDENT STATS OUTThe 2021 road incident statistics have been released by the UK Government and in some places make grim reading. A positive is that cycling fatalities has dropped 21%, which we guess is due to a combination of people remembering how to drive again and cyclists getting used to the roads. The bad news is that road fatalities has risen 7%, with an astonishing 30% relating to not wearing a seatbelt. Click this Autocar link here for more information. NEW CITROËN LOGOCitroën has updated their logo, harking back to the original, with the font an evolution on the previous version. As with all the current updates to logos, this is aimed at making their use and options of what you can do with them, much easier in this digital age. To have a look at the smart makeover, click the CAR link here. FCA WARNS INSURANCE INDUSTRY TO PROTECT CONSUMERSThe Financial Conduct Authority has warned the insurance industry to help consumers, in the current cost of living crisis, and not foist unnecessary products on them. The FCA also reminded them it expects them to help those struggling to pay, so that they do not expose themselves by not having adequate protection. Click here for the AM Online link to learn more. CHINESE EV SALES RISE SHARPLY ACROSS EUROPETying back to last week’s Lunchtime Read which mentioned how the Chinese Government effectively subsidises their EV companies so they can sell their vehicles cheaper than other companies can, figures were released showing how well that tactic is doing. Just behind and catching rapidly, the German produced percentage is the Chinese. This link, to the AM Online article, will tell you more. WESTMINSTER COUNCIL INSTALLING LAMPPOST EV CHARGERSWestminster Council has engaged Siemens to
Wonderfully Awful - 27 September 2022
FOLLOW UP: TOYOTA TO CLOSE RUSSIAN PLANTToyota has announced that it will permanently shutter their production facility in Russia. They closed temporarily in March, following the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces which led to supply issues. They have not been able to resume production since, nor can they see when the situation may change. For more on this story, click here for the SupplyChainDive article link. FOLLOW UP: INVESTORS WANT PORSCHE SHARESThe demand for the upcoming Porsche IPO has been described as “robust”, with some claiming all of the shares could be sold multiple times over. The floatation is expected to raise between €18 billion and €19 billion. Which goes to show, we don’t know anything about the game of share. To read more, click the Reuters link here. PHONE HOLDING DETECTION TRAILDevon and Cornwall police will be trailing a new system that uses “AI” to detect if it believes a driver is using a phone, occupants are not wearing seatbelts and the speed the vehicle is moving at. If the software detects laws are being broken the photograph gets passed on to a human to decide if a warning or intention to prosecute letter is warranted. Click here for the BBC News article link. UBER GOING ALL ELECTRIC BY 2030Uber has stated that it will be going all electric for it’s fleet, across the US, Canada and Europe, by 2030. They claim to be on track to hit their London 2025 target, for EV-only vehicles in the capital. To see more on this, click the Jalopnik link here for a video on the story. CANTERBURY E-SCOOTER TRIAL ENDS IN NOVEMBERKent County Council has decided not to extend the trial of e-scooters in Canterbury, from the end of November 2022. The Government announced, in the summer, that it is extending the trial until 2024 and existing trials can be extended. The Council’s fear is that accidents will increase, although to date one person has been knocked over by someone using a scooter outside the trial area and on the pavement. Click the Move Electric link here 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 NEWSFord Mustang -Ford revealed the 2023 Mustang and Dark Horse variant, at the Detroit Motor Show last week. The car will retain the V8 and is using the current car’s base. Whilst it will have the latest infotainment system, it will not get new automated driving tech due to the age of the platform. The likelihood is...
Turned Into A Camel - 13 September 2022
FOLLOW UP: RIVIAN PARTNERING WITH MERCEDES Rivian are partnering with Mercedes to build large EV vans, at an existing facility somewhere in Central and Eastern Europe. They will base the vehicles on two platforms, one from each company. You can read more about this, by clicking the link to the The Verge article here. Additionally, Andrew needed to clarify the issues Rivian has with the proposed UK data law changes, from last week’s item. If the new laws come into force, then the UK loses the current data ‘adequacy’ with the EU, meaning the businesses need to deal differently with UK and EU data. This will cause expenses and extra hassle for businesses. QUESTIONS RAISED OVER PORSCHE IPOThe proposed IPO of Porsche, by Volkswagen, is not as straightforward as some are making out. There is the timing of it, which when one looks at the current global financial projections, seems 'unwise. On top of that, VW’s own internal structures and connections in and out of Porsche could make investors very wary. Of particular note is that no voting rights will be granted any investors. To find out about how complicated this all is, click here for the AMOnline article. CAZOO EXPANSION U-TURNCazoo, the online car retail organisation, is retreating from mainland Europe, to concentrate on it’s UK operations and being at a breakeven point with cash flow, by the end of 2023. The company claims it will save £100 million by closing down its operations in Europe, by the end of 2023. Amazingly that is exactly the amount it claims it will still have in the bank by the end of 2023. For more, click the AMOnline article link here. TOBIAS MOERS JOINS PIECH AUTOMOTIVEFollowing his departure from Aston Martin, Tobias Moers has moved to Pitch Automotive as Chief Technical Officer. He will, apparently, run the company alongside Manfred Fitzgerald, the ex head of Genesis. Click here for the Top Gear article link, to learn more. BMW PUTS ROUND PEG IN SQUARE HOLESBMW has unveiled a new battery design, moving away from square ones currently used, to cylinder ones. The company claims these will offer an improvement of range up to 30 percent and potentially a 50 percent saving. Click this Move Electric link here, to find out more. EV CHARGING SOLAR TREES UNVEILEDWhilst called “solar trees”, they are large umbrella shaped canopies, that have solar panels on them to allow for charging of vehicles and properties. They can also be linked together to create a ‘mini-grid’. To learn more, click this link to the Renewables Now article.
Like The Big Boys - 6 September 2022
FOLLOW UP: RIVIAN NOT INTERESTED IN UKAccording to filings in August, Rivian made it clear that it would not consider the UK as the base for a factory due to the data laws, existing and proposed changes. On the surface, it would appear that Rivian wants to do what it likes with owner’s data and also it naively insists on housing all data in the US, which is not how countries are approaching data creating in their boarders. For more, click this Twitter thread from Vincent Manancourt. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES AUGUST 2022An increase of 1.2% on last year’s figures is a welcome sight, but it must also be remembered that 2021 was the worst August since 2013. EVs continued to increase their market share, even with constrained supply chains. SMMT has, though, warned of the energy price increases adding to the struggles for the industry. To read more, click the SMMT article here. BMW BEGINS HYDROGEN FUEL CELL VEHICLE PRODUCTIONBMW are building a small fleet of iX5 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for testing and denonstration, at their Munich plant. BMW has been working with Toyota over this technology. BMW seem to think it has a place for personal mobility, whilst many believe it is best suited to commercial vehicles. To read more, click the AMOnline article link here. RENAULT HARVESTS USED PARTS FROM OLDER LORRIESRenault is disassembling old lorries to collect the parts that are still usable. This is all part of the ‘Renaulution’ plan to bring recycling in-house and reduce costs on parts and materials. You can find out more, by clicking this link for the Jalopnik article. FIRST BUS ORDERS 193 EV BUSESFirst Bus has placed a large EV order with Wrightbus, to be fulfilled within the next two years. York, Portsmouth, Leicester, Leeds and Norwich will all be getting these buses. Just under half the money is coming from from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area grant. More can be learned by clicking this Move Electric link here. POLESTAR AND CITROËN SETTLE LOGO DISPUTEIn France, Citroën objected to Polestar selling as they claimed the Swedish company’s logo was too similar to the famous double chevrons and would confuse buyers. Following a lengthy legal battle the two companies settled out of court, with the exact agreement still not known. All very silly. Only the lawyers won, as is usually the case. To read about this, click the CarScoops article link here. POLICE GAME WAZE TO CONTROL TRAFFICPolice in Surrey have admitted that they ‘game’ Waze, pretending there are more of them around that is the reality to get people to slow down. Whilst on patrol they...
Don't Try This At Home - 31 August 2022
FOLLOW UP: GENEVA MOTOR SHOW CANCELLED AGAINFor the fourth year on the trot, the Geneva Motor Show has been cancelled. Therefore, only the Qatar element of the new set up will be held next year. This has caused a lot of discussion about the suitability of the location, due to the country’s track record on human rights. As a note, due to the situation in Qatar, this podcast will not cover any aspect of the show. To read more about the story, click here for the Autocar link. FOLLOW UP: FORD DELAYING SPANISH INVESTMENTFord is now delaying investing in their Valencia plant, following the June announcement, due to a “revised outlook for Europe”. The plant was due to be converted to produce electric vehicles. Ford’s statement is on the back of other manufacturers stating orders are beginning to slow. You can read more about this by clicking this Reuters link here. FOLLOW UP: STELLANTIS TO PAY US DIESEL EMISSION FINEFCA, now part of Stellantis, pleaded guilty to diesel emission false representations and have been ordered to pay nearly $300 million, as a consequence. We should note that VW has paid over $30 billion for the same offence. To read more, click the Reuters article link here. FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT FACTORY ON ‘LIFE-SUPPORT’The plans for the Britishvolt car battery facility, in Northumberland, are being pared back, currently, as the company looks to minimise cash flow out. There is a new round of funding the company is looking to unlock, but that will not be until next year. This throws doubts up about the ambitious targets the company has announced. More can be found by clicking The Guardian article link here. TOYOTA TRUCK AFFILIATE FALSIFIED EMISSION DATAHino Motors Ltd, has been found to have falsified emission data, going back to 2003 for truck and buses made on behalf of Toyota. This came to light following an internal investigation after initial claims were made that information was incorrect in the past decade. Hino have been cut from Toyota, as a result. By clicking this Reuters link you can read more. STELLANTIS HALTS PRODUCTION AT PLANTS IN EUROPEDue to the ongoing issues with parts supply, Stellantis is halting production at their Peugeot, Open and van plants, across Europe. To learn more, click this link to an AMOnline article. FERRARI BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR RECALLFerrari is recalling nearly every car sold since 2005 due to a fault with...
Special Edition - Citroën Berlingo Longterm Review
Finally Andrew talks to Alan about the ‘new” Cracked Windscreen Family Hauler. They run through the remit, what was selected and what it’s like to live with it. Listen to them be childish about trim names, discuss storage options and consider the best cornering technique for such vehicles.
Special Edition - Toyota GR Yaris Review
Captain Yaris Fanboi had a Toyota GR Yaris for a week and, yes, the inevitable comparison happened. It couldn’t not happen.In this Special Edition Alan talks about the Toyota GR Yaris while trying to say things other people haven’t said about it in the hundreds of other reviews you’ve read and watched. Comparing and contrasting with his own Yaris GRMN hopefully means that was achieved.To listen to the GR Yaris Launch Special Edition, click this link here.
Special Edition - KIA Drive Day
Andrew attended the Northern Group of Motoring Writers annual event, which was supported by KIA. They brought a selection of cars from their range for us all to try out. Andrew took four cars out for a spin, listen in as he talks about curry hooks, timelines and surprises. Thanks to KIA for helping support the day and the Northern Group of Motoring Writers. Thank you to the Group for welcoming Andrew so warmly, we’re sure his “charm” will wear off in time.
Special Edition - Genesis GV70 Review
It’s been a long time since we drove a diesel SUV for The Motoring Podcast, but Genesis was keen that we tried their best-selling UK model, the handsome, not-quite-a-coupé, GV-70. Alan drove one to Scotland and back to find out what all the fuss was about.
No Name Yet - 26 July 2022
FOLLOW UP: GREY HACKERS TO DE-SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONSGrey-market hackers are looking to liberate options fitted to BMW cars but not activated from the subscription models being proposed by the manufacturer. You car read more in this article from Vice.DIESS TO LEAVE VOLKSWAGENHerebert Diess is to leave his position as Volkswagen CEO on 1st September and will be replaced by Porsche boss Oliver Blume. Read more in this article from electrive.com.LONDON ULEZ EXTENSION HAD LESS IMPACT THAN HOPEDThis article from the Evening Standard looks at TfL figures showing a much lower impact on air quality than expected whet he London ULEZ zone was extended.ASTON MARTIN’S NEW OLD LOGOAston Martin has updated its logo in a bit to secure younger buyers. We’re not sure how that’s going to work, but you can see old and new in this Autocar article.AMAZON & RIVIAN ROLL OUT NEW EV DELIVERY VANSAmazon and Rivian are launching their electric delivery vans in a selection of US cities over the coming months according to this article from Autocar.FORD DEVELOPS EV CHARGER FOR DISABLED DRIVERSFord has developed a prototype EV charging unit that can automatically plug in an EV, meaning disabled drivers don’t have to wrestle with heavy cables. You can read more in this article from Move Electric.NEW HYDROGEN FUEL CELL FACTORY FOR HERTFORDSHIREJohnson Matthey has announced a £80million investment in a new factory at Royston in Hertfordhire to make hydrogen fuel cells for automotive and transport use. There’s more detail in this article from CNBC.MOKE INTERNATIONAL RECEIVES NEW OWNERGood news if you’re looking for an electric, MINI-based 4-seater utility/fun car, MOKE International has been bought by EV Technology Group, which is looking to invest more int he company. Find out more from Move Electric here.DAIMLER LAUNCHES SECOND ELECTRIC TRUCK MODELDaimler has launched a second electric model, this time based on its urban-focused Econic model and called the eEconic. You can find out more
Look At Me Grown Up - 19 July 2022
FOLLOW UP: VW LOSES TEMP CONTROL ENGINE SOFTWARE RULINGVolkswagen has been told by the EU Court of Justice that utilising software to protect engines outside a temperature range of 15 - 33 Celsius amounted to a defeat device, as below 15 Celsius is a normal temperature across Europe. This will, obviously, open the risk of more consumer class actions being taken against VW and possibly other manufacturers. For more, click the Reuters article here. ASTON MARTIN SECURE FURTHER FUNDINGAston Martin has secured £653 million more investment, which it states is only required to service the debt they have accrued. A Saudi Arabian fund, AMG and share issue will ensure that the cash reserves they currently have are deployed on their future development and not paying off their loans. You can learn more, by clicking this PistonHeads link here. BMW TRIALS OPTIONS SUBSCRIPTIONSBMW are trialling subscriptions for some options, with the ability to pay for them on a weekly, yearly or the entire time of your ownership of the car. This has caused a bit of controversy, but not all are against the idea. Click this Top Gear link to read about the move. James Mills wrote a piece for Hagerty, explaining why this has been introduced and why they may not be a bad idea at all. You can read that, by clicking this link here. Drew Smith, writing on the StudioPhro website, adds a dash of reality and caution to OEMs pursuing options via subscription, that can be read by clicking this link here. TESLA ORDERED TO REFUND CUSTOMER OVER AUTOPILOT FAULTSTesla has been ordered to refund a customer, by a Munich court, due to the problems with the Autopilot function. Following a detailed technical analysis, it was confirmed that the system could not reliably recognise obstacles and changes to the layout of roads and lead to braking being applied unnecessarily. For more, click the Reuters article here. EV ISOLATOR ISSUE HITTING HOMEChanges to regulations over the installation of home chargers has meant there is an added delay. There must be two visits, with one being the energy provider who needs to fit the new isolator to the properties existing electrical system. Until there is a single visit installation the problem will continue with the owner or fleet operator paying more as they have to use public charging points. To read about this, click the Business Motoring article here. PORSCHE BUILDS SECOND EFUEL FACILITY
Yeehaw Mother Lovers - 12 July 2022
NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES JUNE 2022The June 2022 figures for New Car Registrations has been released by SMMT and they are down nearly a quarter on last year’s figures. Supply shortages are the main culprit, with manufacturers having long lead times to actually get cars into customer’s hands. To read more, click the SMMT article link here. To read Tristan Young’s breakdown of figures by the fuel you put in, click this link here. FUEL PRICE PROTESTS HIT ROADSSome roads in England and Wales were hit by ‘go-slow’ protests last week. They were doing so to raise the issue of fuel costs to the Government, urging them to reduce fuel-duty to help. Several protestors were charged by police for driving too slowly on motorways. To read more, click the Autocar article here. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a full review into fuel price rises, after declaring the current situation as a “cause for concern” which feels quite understated. To read more about this story, click this Autocar article link. WALES TO LOWER SPEED LIMITS TO 20MPH IN BUILT-UP AREASA blanket reduction in speed limits, across Wales is being proposed with hopes to be first to implement this in the UK, pipping Scotland who are introducing this in 2025. This is a divisive subject, with some complaining about longer travel times, the unnecessariness and causing chaos to travel. Conversely, the safety aspect is highlighted, where we know anyone hit by a car at 20mph is less likely to suffer severe injury. Whilst, no one can question the impact safety benefits, questions have arisen over claims of lowering costs, emissions and general safety. To read the BBC News article, click the link here. To read the Welsh Government’s own document on this, click this link. LUNAZ EXPANDS PRODUCTION CAPABILITYLunaz, the up-cycling electrification company, plan to increase its facility to enable it to cope with the rapid uptick in business. They will plan to get 1100 vehicles through their production system a year. You can learn more about what they do and what the expansion will mean by clicking the Autocar link here. HONDA KEYLESS ENTRY HACK VULNERABILITY Honda cars, built between 2012 and 2022, have a vulnerability in them that could allow a naughty person to unlock and remotely start the car. Honda has dismissed the issue but it doesn't appear to have been addressed. Honda haven’t dealt with this very well either, when the researchers brought it to the company’s attention. The solution is tricky and we wonder if it demands an official recall? The other thing to worry about is that the researchers believe other manufacturers are hit by the same flaw. To find out more,
Unobtanium - 5 July 2022
HYUNDAI AND KIA RAIDED IN GERMANYGerman officials have raised the offices of Hyundai, Kia and Bosch over the possibility of a defeat device being fitted to their diesel engines. Details are scant so far, and the chaps will be keeping an eye out for any updates. To read more, click the Autocar article here. EUROPE CONFIRMS 2035 NEW ICE SALE BANThe EU has voted in favour of banning the sale of new combustion engined cars and vans, from 2035. There is a glimmer of hope though, left for e-fuels, which have been given more time to demonstrate if they can be made both environmentally friendly and economically. To read about the ICE ban, click here for the Reuters article link. To read about e-fuels, click the Autocar link here. GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES INCIDENT INVESTIGATION BRANCHThe first ever road incident investigation branch has now been formed, by the Government, following a campaign and consultation to create such an organisation. They will independently investigate incidents and use their findings to make recommendations to changes in all aspects of road usage. For more, click the Government’s own link here. NOTTINGHAM TRIALS WIRELESS TAXI CHARGINGNottingham Council has secured funding to undertake a trial of wireless charging technology, using taxis, to establish if it is viable. Wireless technology promises a cleaner street, with less visible infrastructure and associated hazards of trying to use and get around. To learn more about this, click the Wireless Charging of Electric Taxis link here. YORK OPENS FIRST COUNCIL HYPERHUB York Council has opened the first of four “HyperHubs” which it will run, in the city. They will have a range of chargers and aim to help local residents and visitors. This is part of a scheme to help transition people to electric vehicles. Read more about this, by clicking this MoveElectric link here. SWARCO SIGNS DEAL WITH CORNWALL COUNCILSWARCO will supply and run a number of council charging points, that are to be installed over the next four years. The idea is to improve the infrastructure for Cornwall. To read more, click the ZapMap link here. NEW HOME CHARGING RULES IN FORCEThe new home charging rules have come into force, but there is still a lot of confusion as to what they mean to consumers. myenergi boss Jordan Brompton helps clarify costs and what they actually mean for us in this article on Transport+Energy,
Enhance An Older Body - 28 June 2022
FOLLOW UP: FORD ENDING FOCUS PRODUCTIONWe discussed that Ford was considering the future of the German Saarlouis plant, three weeks ago during Screaming In Your Car episode. That now seems to have been decided, as Ford are investing in their Valencia plant for EV models. After 2025 the Focus will be end, which has caused an obvious conclusion that the German factory will close. For more on this, click the JustAuto article here. FOLLOW UP: PRIVATE PARKING CODE OF PRACTICE PAUSEDIn February this year, the Government proudly announced it was introducing new rules to cap fines, have a transparent and independent appeals system and essentially make parking fairer. Much more quietly, in fact so quietly it was almost silent, they announced that this would be withdrawn after legal action from parking firms. To read more, click this RAC article link. FOLLOW UP: FLEETS URGED TO SUBMIT EV DATA TO HMRCTwo fleet industry organisations are asking their members to submit information to HMRC so that they can see the effect energy prices are having and suitably compensate in the September changes to rates. More can be read on this matter, by clicking this link to the Autocar article. NEW SENTENCING LIMITS FOR DRIVERS WHO KILLThe sentencing powers have been changed for those who cause death by dangerous driving and careless driving whilst under the influence of drink and drugs. The new limit will be a life sentence. There will also a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving, which will have a stiff penalty. For more on this story, click here for the BBC News article. BRADFORD CLEAN AIR ZONE DATE Bradford has confirmed that their Cat C + Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will go live from 22 September 2022. This will cover commercial vehicles, busses, mini busses, hackney cabs and private hire vehicles that do not meet the requirements. You can read more about his by clicking on the link to the BVRLA article here. LOTUS AND BENTLEY TO BUILD SOME CLASSIC EXAMPLESLotus Advanced Performance will build bespoke, limited run cars based on 1960s and 70s cars. The newly formed wing of the company will also take over their motorsport interests. With limited details on exactly what is being planned there are some rumours of restomod versions of key cars from the back catalogue of Lotus. For more, click this Autocar link. Meanwhile, Bentley, buoyed by the success of their Blower Continuation Series, has announced they are producing 12 of their two-time Le Mans winning Speed Six cars. They have already...
Consultant Created Toss - 20 June 2022
UK HOUSEHOLDS GET CLEAN AIR MONITORSHouses in Tideford, Cornwall, along the A38, are having plug-in air purifiers installed as part of a project to understand how bad the air in that area is, thanks to the traffic. The results will be shared by the local council, with Highways England so they can all understand how much affect the number of vehicles have. To read more, click here for the BBC News article. EXPERIENCE SCORES FOR CARSThe EPM Advisory Council, a collection of automotive brands and suppliers, has come up with a recommendation that cars are scored on the experience they give drivers and passengers, called the EPM. The Experience Per Mile is supposed to help evaluate how positive the in-car experience has been. Aspects such as remaining connected, how productive one is and entertained will all be given a score. More can be found on this by clicking this Autocar link. MG HALTS SALESDue to the rocketing demand for their vehicles and the continued effects of the semi conductor crisis, along with covid issues, MG has paused sales of their EVs in the UK. They anticipate being able to take orders once again soon. For more, click the AMOnline 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——————————————————————————-WRC: SAFARI RALLY THIS WEEKA reminder to keep an eye out for the DirtFish coverage of the Safari Rally this week, as WRC returns! BRANDS HATCH BUS SERVICEBrands Hatch Shuttle Buses will run a service for some major racing events this year, ferrying people from Azalea Drive to the circuit. Hopefully this will make it easier for people to use public transport and get to see some cracking motorsport. For more, click here to read the Brands Hatch article. MOVE CONFERENCE ROUNDUP:Alan and Andrew talk about their time at the conference and highlights from what they saw. BICESTER SCAMBLEAlan has been busy this week, he went to ANOTHER event over the weekend, the fabulous Scramblers. You can hear him give a quick round up of what he saw. DESIGNERS MOOD BOARD: NURNBERGER DOES RETURN TO ASTONWhilst Andrew sits smugly with the knowledge his lucky guess from a few shows ago was right, Miles Nurnberger has returned to Aston Martin following the departure of Tobias Moers as CEO. To learn more, click the Car Design News article link.
Windows Follow You Around The Room - 13 June 2022
PETROL PRICES REACH NEW RECORDAverage petrol and diesel prices have increased, on a daily basis over the last week, to new heights. Consumer groups, as well as those of us who use a car, have called on the Government to do something to help in this extraordinary situation. To read more, click the Autocar story here. The UK is not alone in being hurt by fuel price rises, the French Government are aiding those who have to travel far due to work or to get to work. For more on this, click The Connexion article link here. SCOTLAND TO ‘DISCOURAGE CAR USE’Plans to be unveiled this week, from the governing SNP and Scottish Greens, on the transport side of their net-zero aims will be focused on discouraging car use. Being considered are such actions as charging drivers per mile, only allowing investment in road infrastructure if it meets very tight criteria and encouraging active travel. Click here for the MSM link explaining more. VOLVO ELECTRIC TIPPERS NOW IN UKThe first electric tipper trucks, in the UK, are already working for Fox Group to work locally from their Leyland base. They each have a 93 mile range, are plated to 27 tonnes and use two electric motors with a two-speed gearbox. Click this Move Electric link to learn more. FRANCE APPROVES ALLEGED SUPER-PRECISE SPEED CAMERASFrance has approved the use of supposedly super-accurate speed cameras that remove the need to allow a percentage of speed for error. After testing the company who make the cameras unsurprisingly hailed that they’re 100% perfect. Equally unsurprising, motoring groups in France have not reacted well to this. Click on The Connexion link here for more. APPLE REVEALS NEW CAR PLAYApple, at their recent developer conference, revealed their new Apple CarPlay, to much oohing and aahhhing by many. In their presentation they showed what a car with it fitted could look like. They also announced several car companies could use the system, This version goes deeper and allows Apple more access to the car’s systems outside the infotainment screen. For more about this, click the Motoring Research article here. JLR TO USE WHAT3WORDS NAVIGATIONJaguar Land Rover will utilise what3words navigation which enables some very misleading and silly reporting. what3words is not as accurate as the developers like to make out, added on to of which JLR will be paying for the privilege of using their “proprietary” system. To learn more about JLR’s move,
Screaming In Your Car - 7 June 2022
FOLLOW UP: EU ADVISOR APPROVES PURSUING DEFEAT DEVICE DAMAGES CLAIMSAn EU court advisor has stated that owners of vehicles fitted with defeat devices should be allowed to pursue damages. This is not a final ruling but very rarely do the judges not follow such advice. This case is against Mercedes-Benz. If this is ruled upon, it will be up to individual countries to calculate damages that align with loss and damages caused by such devices. For more, click the Automotive News story here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES MAY 2022The weakest May, in three decades outside of 2020’s lockdown situation, meant that there was a 20.6% drop in registrations. Supply chain issues, including Covid lockdowns and the war in Ukraine are all contributing factors. You can learn more by clicking the SMMT link here. MERCEDES TO RECALL 1M CARS Mercedes-Benz is recalling nearly one million cars that could have faulty brakes. Owners of some R-Class, ML and GL models, built between 2004 and 2015, are being advised not to drive their cars until they have been inspected. To read more, click here for the Autocar article link. HMRC NOT KEEPING PACE WITH ENERGY PRICE RISESHMRC has now brought in their new mileage rates, which company car drivers can claim, however they do not match the rise in energy prices. They, in fact, do not rise at all, unlike petrol and diesel rates. This has caused much frustration from those who may well be out of pocket as prices continue to rise. More can be read on this, just click here for the Autocar article. FUEL PRICE SURGE IN MAYPetrol and diesel prices surged in May, rising on average 10p per litre. The war in Ukraine is being blamed for the 17% increase in wholesale costs. For more, click this Autocar article link. CARZAM CLOSES DIGITAL DOORSCarzam, one of the new breed of online only car purchasing sites has gone into voluntary receivership. Unlike Cazoo and Cinch, this entity was created by people from within the car retail industry and therefore thought of as one of the better prospects. For more on this story, click the Car Dealership Magazine link here. MERCEDES DITCHES MOST B-CLASS VARIANTSPrior to the facelift of the B-Class, later this year, Mercedes-Benz has cut all but two model options from the range. Only the 200 and 200d, a petrol and diesel respectively, versions will still be available to buy. Trim levels are also, well, trimmed down to now only give four options. More can be found out about this
Minissima - 31 May 2022
Super short this week as Andrew was plagued by microphone issues. As a result, there are many more stories here in the notes than were covered in the show.FOLLOW UP: VW SETTLE UK CONSUMER LITIGATIONVolkswagen has agreed to pay UK consumers £193 million in compensation for fitting defeat devices to their diesel cars. Around 70,000 people will benefit from this payment. To read more, click here for the Automotive Management article. FOLLOW UP: STELLANTIS REACH PLEA DEAL OVER EMISSIONS PROBEStellantis, via their FCA unit, has reached a plea deal with the US Justice Department over a probe into emissions from their vehicles. FCA has pleaded guilty and will pay in the region of $300 million. Three FCA employees are also to be charged. More on this story can be found by clicking this Reuters link here. JLR LOOKING ABROAD FOR EV PRODUCTIONJLR is in talks over building EV models abroad in Slovakia, which is a blow to UK production. This also raises the issue that there are not enough battery plants in the UK now nor, as some fear, probably in the future, so other manufacturers will look aboard too. To read more, click the Bloomberg link here. AUTOCAR AND WHATCAR? GET AUTOTRADER ADSAutotrader will power the used car adverts on Autocar and WhatCar? sites, in a deal announced last Tuesday. Autotrader will now get access to more consumers and Autocar will be able to show readers possible options for the cars they are researching at that moment. You can read more on this by clicking here for the Autocar link. WASHINGTON TO CHARGE CARS ON WEIGHTIn the first move, of what could be a new way for cities to control the vehicles on their roads, Washington DC is to charge an extra levy on vehicles over 6000lbs (2722 kgs) of $500 per year. There is an extra 1000lb waiver for EVs, apparently to prevent discouragement of adoption. For more, click the Green Car Reports article link here. REE TO BUILD EUROPEAN EV VANS IN MIDLANDSThe Israeli start up REE is using its base in Warwickshire to build EU electric vehicle units, for commercial, buses and recreational vehicles. The aim is to produce 10,000 vehicles, which equates to 40,000 units as their system is a moor at each wheel. To learn more about their plans, click this MoveElectric article link. BAC AND VIRITECH HYDROGEN FEASIBILITY STUDYBAC and Viritech are undertaking a feasibility study of a hydrogen powertrain for sports cars. They are establishing if it is possible to make a Mono with this alternative power source. One of the problems they need to overcome is the potential for extra weight, if it were an electric battery powered...
Here We Go - 23 May 2022
FOLLOW UP: AN EXPERT RESPONDS - CIRCULAR ECONOMYThank you to Tom Lipscomb, from PriestmanGoode who are a design company who's purpose "lies in designing a better, more sustainable. He got in touch with the show, to help us understand what Circular Economy actually is. As explained its one of the key pillars of good design and relates heavily to the way products are made in that individual components should be easily disassembled into their constituent parts. GERMANY SALES BAN FOR FORD DUE TO COURT ORDERFord has been taken to court by Japan's IP Bridge Inc, as their patented technology was being sold in Ford cars without the US car company paying for it, according to the German court. Ford can appeal, but if IP Bridge puts down a €227 million security payment this ruling becomes enforceable. For more on this, click here for the Reuters article link. LONDON ULEZ EXPANSION CONSULTATION OPENEDLondon has opened the public consultation regarding the expansion of the ULEZ to cover most of the capital. To set date for any change is 29 August 2023, where a fee of £12.50 would be levied on any car, van or motorcycle that does not meet the requirements. Views are also being sought on introducing road pricing, which previously the Mayor said would not be considered. To learn more about this, click the BusinessCar article link here. SMART MOTORWAYS GET UPGRADED SAFETY TECH BY SEPTEMBERBy September this year, Smart Motorways will get new safety cameras and radar detection upgrades to improve the network of the already installed sections of digital motorways. More can be read by clicking this link to the Motoring Research article here. NEW CAR AND TRAILER LEARNING SYLLABUSThe DVLA has released the new training syllabus for car and trailer for drivers wishing to become safer with their vehicle. The rules are still that there is a reduction in the threshold of who should do this though. For more, click the DVLA article link here. NOISE CAMERA TRIAL BEGINSA new trial has begun to tackle the plague of noisy road users. This is the next stage in trialling the technology. Those exceeding the 72dB limit, the UK uses, will be fined between £100-£400 for their anti-social behaviour. More can be read about this by clicking the Hagerty link here. TESLA OPENS CHARGING NETWORKS TO ANY VEHICLETesla has opened 15 of their charging hubs to any EV, in a move that is welcomed by many in the UK. However, they are currently breaking the public charging rules by demanding customers agree to a contract with them, which is what registering with their app is considered by regulators. They have stated that they will open more hubs...