Employees who have previously taken cash options are returning to company car schemes in “noticeable” numbers thanks to electric vehicles, reports Arval UK.Shaun Sadlier, head of consulting at Arval UK, said this was something that was predicted when the latest zero and low benefit-in-kind rates for EVs were unveiled in 2019, but is now becoming increasingly more apparent. He said: “Many cash … [Read more...]
Newcomers
Sunday drive: Fiat 500 Hybrid 3-Door Lounge
The little and large of new models being introduced have several things in common but the most relevant is all-electric power, writes David Miles. At one end of the size scale Fiat have recently introduced their 500 City Car petrol-electric Hybrid range and UK order books are open for their all-new 500 Electric Hatch and Cabriolet models with deliveries starting next March. At the other end of … [Read more...]
Newslines 11 December
Drivers were collectively planning about 13m separate trips by car to see family and friends during the coronavirus ‘travel window’ between 23 and 27 December, although a fifth (22%) don’t expect to make any such journeys this year because of the virus, research by RAC Breakdown suggests. With two weeks to go until Christmas, the greatest number of individual trips – some 3.1m – look likely to … [Read more...]
Tradelines 9 December
Aston Martin is seeing “phenomenal” demand, with a rebound in China, said the company’s executive chairman and billionaire investor Lawrence Stroll. “Demand right now is phenomenal,” he told the Financial Times’ The Future of the Car digital conference, adding “China really returned first and strongest, and is gangbusters.” GKN Automotive is strengthening its eDrive technology leadership as 13 … [Read more...]
Fleets taking on more evs in business
New data from epyx suggests that 14% of cars and vans operated by fleets are now either hybrid or battery electric vehicles. The figure is taken from the company’s 1link Service Network platform, used by fleets totalling four million vehicles to buy and manage service, maintenance and repair (SMR) from nearly 9,000 franchise dealers, independent garages and fast-fits. The 14% figure covers a … [Read more...]
Volvo XC60 range widens
Volvo's award-winning XC60 mid-size SUV is now available with a full range of electrified powertrains. The former World Car of the Year is offered purely with hybrid power, from mild-hybrid petrols and diesels to petrol-electric plug-in hybrids. Every mild-hybrid powertrain in the XC60 range combines a powerful 2.0-litre engine with a 48-volt battery and a KERS kinetic energy recovery system to … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Lexus UX 250h Takumi E-four AWD
Lexus has shaken up the UK car market in every sector it’s entered and with the latest UX urban SUV its challenge intensifies, writes Robin Roberts. Intended as an introduction to the Lexus range, the UX is their first contemporary compact SUV with the urban driver in mind rather than the country living/ loving driver who needs a serious off-roader. That’s not underselling the Lexus UX as it is … [Read more...]
Welsh Government £30M boost for EV network
The move to electric transport will be boosted by a £30M five-year investment announced yesterday by the Welsh Government. It is putting up the money to encourage private investors and network providers to install more public charging points to meet concerns motorists expressed so far in a public consultation which ends in February 2021, An assessment of the current EV network has revealed a … [Read more...]
Newslines 4 December
Travel between Wales and T1 or T2 areas in England is permitted from 6pm tonight. But the Welsh Government ban remains for T3 areas, which include Bristol and Birmingham, while London and Liverpool are in the lower tiers. The Cupra Formentor range of engines is expanding this month. The entry-level 150ps comes in at £27,395 from the New Year , the PHEV version is due Spring 2021 while the … [Read more...]
Frozen White Christmas from Wales
Finished exclusively in Frozen White, the new MS-RT R120 is a Limited Edition of the Welsh company’s QVM-Approved MS-RT Transit Connect. The company, which uses styling and technology pioneered by Ford’s works rally team, is producing a limited run of 30 R120s in the mainland UK and 6 in Northern Ireland, with the model designed and built at its factory in Pontypool, South Wales. Priced from … [Read more...]