It could be a make or break year for smaller ev makers, reports Reuters UK. Tesla's 20% price cut worldwide last week has led to surge in demand from its German factory supplying Europe but at the same time put pressure on main rivals to reduce prices while some ev startups may be unable to match them and risk losing investments and sales, or worst still, seeing them go out of business. The … [Read more...]
EVs overtake diesels in 2022 UK market
New car registrations continued to improve in December and the market in Britain reached 1.61M, but still the lowest in three decades. The UK new car market recorded its fifth consecutive month of growth in December, with an 18.3% increase to reach 128,462 new registrations, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Hidden in the figures was the fact … [Read more...]
Newslines 28 November
Government plans that could see novice drivers being allowed to automatically drive lorries have been condemned by the UK’s leading independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart. A recent government consultation suggested that drivers who possess a category B car licence should be instantly entitled to a category C1 licence, which allows motorists to drive vehicles weighing up to 7.5 tonnes … [Read more...]
New car sales lifting at last
There are signs that the components supply problems may be easing for car makers and getting more models to dealerships after a boost in October registrations. Registrations among Welsh dealers rose 24.25% to hit 4,903. "The increase in new vehicle sales in October demonstrates the resilience of franchised dealers and their ability to find the right deal for their customers and the … [Read more...]
Tradelines 26 October
Pendragon Group is currently the subject of a cyberattack and is being held to a £54m ransom by hackers, according to Car Dealer magazine. The listed firm, which owns around 160 showrooms across the UK and uses the Evans Halshaw and Stratstone names, has had its IT servers hacked, with dark web hackers having stolen five per cent of its database and the gang is connected to a group known as … [Read more...]
First drive special: New generation EVs are charging into showrooms
A whole new cell of cars is being created for our electric future and some of them were lined up at the annual SMMT driving day for motoring writers last week. We have seen hybrid adaptations of some familiar models and they have been joined by pure electric derivatives but these are about to be replaced by a completely new generation from the world’s car-makers. After Tesla broke new ground … [Read more...]
EVs overtake a million UK registrations
The SMMT's latest registration figures for September make interesting reading for the growing number of electric cars with the new registration plate change month sales figures and year to date figures as well. Electric vehicle uptake has continued to rise, albeit at a slower rate of growth than seen earlier in the year, with the second highest monthly volume of battery pure electric only … [Read more...]
Welsh car sales falling back
Wales saw a fall in new car registrations last month, the only part of Britain suffering as the cost of living rose. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reported 8,342 new cars were registered by Welsh dealerships last month compared with 8,637 a year ago. That’s a decline of 3.42% on the year to date. The top ten models sold in Wales in September were: Nissan Qashqai, Ford Puma, … [Read more...]
Newslines 12 September
The balooning sales of electric cars could be about to burst. High costs of the models with the majority over £30,000 combined with escalating electricity costs make them far less attractive than the current petrol cars and more economical diesel models and British sales of evs has stalled in recent months. The stark reality of Britain’s cost of living crisis has been revealed as new research … [Read more...]
Welsh car registrations slipping most
Car registrations in Wales slipped back more than the rest of the UK in August. Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed just 2,251 new cars registered in Wales in August, The top ten were: Vauxhall Crossland, Ford Puma, Ford Kuga, Vauxhall Corsa, VW Polo, Vauxhall Mokka, Hyundai Tucson, VW T-Rock and MG ZS. The total for Wales represented a 4.74% drop on August 2021, … [Read more...]