Following its enforced 2020 sabbatical, the Mastercard Goodwood Festival of Speed returned with a bang – including daily pyrotechnics – last week after being chosen as a pilot event by the UK Government's Event Research Programme, writes Ken Davies. Adding credibility to this decision, the Right Hon Oliver Dowden MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport paid a visited the Festival on … [Read more...]
EU climate plans threaten jobs and economies
Carbon emissions from new passenger vehicles are to be cut by 55% in 2030 and 100% in 2035. These targets are the core of the revised CO2 vehicle fleet regulation adopted today by the European Commission as part of the so-called 'Fit for 55' package of measure to revise the EU climate policy. “A zero-emission tailpipe target in 2035 is a de facto ban on the … [Read more...]
Mazda driving joy comes in more models
The joy of driving is still very important to Mazda, says UK boss Jeremy Thomson. This week, Mazda UK commissioned 20 electric charging points at its Darford headquarters as more staff progressively returned to the office. However, the UK and Europe’s rush to turn on electric cars over the coming decade has not dimmed Mazda’s investment in the internal combustion engine. “Mazda has very … [Read more...]
Newslines 20 July
IAM RoadSmart said support for reducing the speed limit on all urban roads from 30mph to 20mph has increased in recent years with almost half of drivers now in favour. Overall, 44% of drivers surveyed agree all current 30mph limits should be replaced with a 20mph limit, a 13% increase from the same representative sample surveyed in 2014. … [Read more...]
RAC and British Gas join forces to boost ev cars
The RAC and British Gas have joined forces to boost the take-up of electric cars. Following just weeks on from the RAC launching its market-leading electric vehicle (EV) leasing website, the new partnership means customers can have a smart 7kW home charge point installed by an expert British Gas engineer and take advantage of a bespoke electricity tariff with cheaper off-peak overnight … [Read more...]
Welsh company joins Ford project
Welsh specialist Ford Pro commercial vehicle converter MS-RT has joined the vehicle maker with a £4M centre at Dagenham from 2022. The Pontypool company’s styling business will continue and the expansion is purely to meet soaring demand for their models across the UK and Europe with up to 120 new jobs created in Essex when full production is reached after 2022. "We are delighted to be building … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Lexus ES300h Takumi
Life is full of surprises but few are as welcome as the Lexus ES300h Takumi saloon delivers. A larger successor introduced in 2019 to the Lexus GS series, it has the advanced petrol & electric powertrain developed by parent Toyota over some 25 years. The experience shows. While some car makers are only now coming to terms with hybrid power, Lexus has been setting the standard over three … [Read more...]
Newslines 16 July
Tesla is on course to notch up a million pure battery car sales by next April, the first manufacturer to do so. VW is tipped to overtake them two years later and Mercedes-Benz will be close behind, according to projections calculated by Moneyshake. As Germany ramps up estimates of EV sales to 14M on its roads inside eight years analysts believe 55% of all EU sales will be electric in the same … [Read more...]
Aston Martin plan 950ps hypercar
The first Aston Martin hybrid sports car will develop a combined 950ps from its 4.0 litre twin turbo V8 petrol engine and twin electric motors driving front and rear wheels. The Valhalla has moved from concept to creation with its active aerodynamics and new eight-speed dual clutch transmission, racing tuned handling and suspension and will be the British company’s first mid-engined … [Read more...]
Sporting Abarth F595 coming to UK
A New Abarth F595 has been confirmed for UK sale. Built as a tribute for the 50th anniversary of the Formula Italia single-seater designed by Carlo Abarth, the 165hp 1.4-litre Euro 6D-Final-compliant T-Jet engine, on which the Formula 4 single-seater is based powers the newcomer to the Fiat range. The new Record Monza Sovrapposto active exhaust with vertical exhausts and a new Rally Blue colour, … [Read more...]