The first BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe goes on sale this week from £25,815. Unveiled in November, it completes the 2 Series line and the company’s four-door coupe range and will be available with a choice of 140hp or 306hp petrol engines and a 190hp diesel. Almost half the Ford UK 400 dealers could be axed in a radical shakeup to boost profits by the car-maker, … [Read more...]
Budget of hope to smooth rough ride ahead
The Budget provides something for today’s and tomorrow’s drivers, said RAC head of policy Nicholas Lyes. “Today the Chancellor has given a boost to drivers of today’s vehicles with a fuel duty freeze while also investing in tomorrow with funding for rapid charging hubs for electric vehicles, an extension to the plug-in car grant, funding to repair Britain’s … [Read more...]
Row erupts over Welsh road and parking charges
Welsh Conservatives have angrily reacted to plans for Motorists in Wales paying road tolls, congestion charges, workplace and out of town parking charges under a review ordered by Minister of Economy and Transport Ken Skates. He has appointed Derek Turner, who worked on the London congestion charge scheme, to study the implications for users and businesses … [Read more...]
Call on Chancellor to push green drive
With the ban on new diesel and petrol cars brought forward to 2035, wednesday’s Budget is the time for the Government to put its money where its mouth is. There’s no doubt that alternative fuel vehicles are the future, but the motor industry needs support if it’s to hit the goal, said Seán Kemple, Director of Sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance. “For … [Read more...]
Cardiff’s “valleys tax” faces challenge
Opponents of Cardiff’s controversial Clean Air Zone plan for the city will be heartened after a similar scheme for Coventry was rejected by the UK Government. The government’s dismissal of a charging Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in Coventry is the right decision for the local economy and the city’s long-term air quality prospects, according to FTA, the only … [Read more...]
Tax break to push company car drivers into evs
Eight out of ten business employees who currently opt out of a company car scheme are ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to move back to company cars and these will be electric, according to a survey by DriveElectric, one of the UK’s leading EV leasing companies. The return to company cars rather than employees taking car allowances is being driven by a number of … [Read more...]
Drink drive issue not improving
The number of people killed in road accidents where the driver was over the drink drive limit has not dropped since 2010. Provisional figures released by the Department for Transport estimate there were 240 such deaths in 2018, exactly the same rate of fatalities ten years ago. The total number of casualties caused by drink driving increased to … [Read more...]
Brexit’s been good for some in automotive sector
The UK transport industry has seen earnings on its investments in the EU rocket by more than 400% since the Brexit vote, the latest Office of National Statistics has revealed. UK transport trade earnings from investments in the EU rose from £177 million in 2015 to £1billion three years later – up 476% compared with before the vote. Firms involved in … [Read more...]
Used dealers struggle with booming evs
The rise in used electric cars threatens to leave some dealerships flat, say analysts. A potential “charging crisis” could soon emerge among vehicle remarketing companies as electric vehicles start to make their way onto the used market in larger numbers, says the Vehicle Remarketing Association. The industry body, which represents businesses that handle, … [Read more...]
Thousands of drivers find flood insurance is void
Thousands of car owners over the next few days will find their insurance does not cover flood damage. Usually, only comprehensive policy cover will pay for the repair or replacement of flood damaged vehicles, and there may be limits to that. Drivers who ignored advice and tried to negotiate a flood which then overcame their vehicle may also find they get … [Read more...]
