Today’s Volkswagen Polo clearly demonstrates city cars do not have to lack the refinements of much larger models. For 46 years, the VW Polo has been seen as the city car with status. While some drivers opted for cheaper competitors from rivals, the Polo-person was perceived as a more mature driver who appreciated sound engineering and valued a stronger resale price. However, … [Read more...]
Newslines 23 July
Welsh Conservative Shadow Economy Minister Paul Davies MS has called on Welsh Government to better support the automotive supplier sector in Wales and encourage more investment. He said the Labour controlled Welsh Government has an anti-car agenda and was not flying the flag for the Welsh car industry. Some keyless Range Rover, BMW and Mercedes models are uninsurable in certain UK cities as they … [Read more...]
New Jeep Wrangler gets latest petrol engine
For MY21, all Jeep Wrangler models will be fitted with the 2.0-litre 272hp Euro6D final petrol engine, combined with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This new engine results in C02 emission ranging between 243-251g/km, a reduction of 10g/km over the previous generation, when fitted to the Sahara, Overland and the new 80th Anniversary models, while the off-road focused Rubicon emits between … [Read more...]
Homes are driving the green transition
Electric vehicles are driving the UK’s green transition but our homes will also play a vital role helping the nation on its journey towards sustainability and net zero emissions by 2050. To achieve this goal, the sale of new pure petrol and diesel cars will be banned after 2030, meaning that the future roads are guaranteed to look more electric. But with the increase of electric vehicles comes … [Read more...]
Stars, cars, rain and sun – Goodwood FoS returned
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...]