BBC Wales meteorologist Derek Brockway is showing his true grit this winter after Cardiff Council named a new snow clearing vehicle after him. The Derek Brr-ockway gritter has gone into service with encouragement from the Barry-born broadcaster, who said, "I've always wanted to be a weatherman but I never thought I'd have a gritter named after me, this is really special. I'm very honoured." A … [Read more...]
Retail News
Worst ever winter breakdowns, said RAC
The RAC yesterday coped with over 12,000 breakdown calls in what it said was the ‘worst-ever winter breakdown cocktail’. RAC Breakdown spokesperson Rod Dennis said, “Yesterday was officially our busiest day for breakdowns on record, with around 12,000 drivers needing help, the equivalent of eight every minute of the day. Even our busiest day during the infamous Beast from the East in 2018 didn’t … [Read more...]
Ten most common driving test failures
It’s rare to pass the driving test without picking up a few faults. And it’s not just the serious or dangerous mistakes you need to worry about, Go.Compare said after looking at the results. If you add up 15 minor faults, or make the same one three times, you’ll fail your test. But which mistakes do learners make the most? Scotland wins hands down for the highest pass rates in … [Read more...]
Porsche and JLR knocked for reliability
Porsche has been named the most unreliable marque according to Warrantywise. Joining it is a range of premium luxury passenger car makers; proving that despite a high price tag, even for a used car, luxury cars could also cost owners more in the long run. Analysing over 131,000 extended car warranty plans, the Reliability Index places Porsche as least reliable used car marque - scoring a mere … [Read more...]
Newslines 13 December
McLaren has sold part of its heritage collection to its main shareholder to raise money for its Artura project. The manufacturer went in search of the money after discovering that ‘certain technical upgrades’ to the hybrid supercar were needed so the Bahrain-based sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding Co – which owns almost 60 per cent of McLaren – agreed to stump up £100m, says Bloomberg UK … [Read more...]
Newslines 12 December
Our data shows that without advertising the fact Asda has taken an average of 4.5p off the cost of litre of unleaded across its 320 sites and around 5.5p off diesel, said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams. “While we’re pleased one major supermarket retailer has finally started heeding our calls to pass on the enormous drop in the wholesale prices of both fuels, the fact these price cuts have been … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Kia Niro EV 2
Kia has been in the forefront of the modern drive towards electric cars and its highly successful Niro compact SUV is the latest aimed at the mass market. It completes the Niro lineup which started with petrol models and then progressed to petrol-plug-in hybrids before adding the pure electric model this autumn, and the latest models are slightly longer, wider and taller with stretched … [Read more...]
Honda and Audi roll out newcomers
The launch of the all-new 329ps Honda Civic Type R comes as Honda celebrates 25 years of its iconic high-performance hatchback – and 50 years of Civic. The next-generation model has been engineered to deliver the fastest Civic Type R to date, building on a long tradition of performance cars inspired by the spirit of racing. Prices for Civic Type R start from £46,995, or £499 per month / 8.9% … [Read more...]
Wales offers used car bargains
Three of the top 20 places in Britain to buy a used car are in Wales, shows a new survey. The best value place in Britain to buy a second-hand car is the Hertfordshire town of Letchworth — because the used cars on sale there offer the optimum combination of age, price and low mileage, according to AA Cars. Across the UK, the average price of used cars is falling. Official data from the ONS shows … [Read more...]
Plan to save UK Auto must be actioned
The UK automotive industry has urged the government to take rapid action to secure the long-term future of one of the country’s most important assets, while accelerating its decarbonisation. The call comes as the sector finally begins to emerge from the pandemic-induced downturn, with new analysis from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders suggesting its return to growth could be worth … [Read more...]