Now here’s my prediction for 2024: the BYD Seal is going to make a splash in the sporting saloon sector. Up to now, Europe has been the leading provider and market for four-doors with something a little special in the family sector, but that is likely to change over the coming 12 months. China’s BYD (it stands for Build Your Dreams) launched its Atto 3 SUV and Dolphin hatchback in Britain in … [Read more...]
Newslines 15 December
Looking for the ultimate Christmas gift for a car enthusiast and Auto Vivendi is selling places in its 200mph Challenge next year. Recipients get to drive a supercar in a high speed sprint for £2,950+VAT. The Lexus RX large luxury SUV has collected another honour, being named the Best Large SUV in The Car Expert Awards 2024. Its success comes hard on the heels of having won the best premium … [Read more...]
Gaps in EV sector need plugging for businesses
Fleets are starting to enter a “tougher” period of electrification in 2024, the Association of Fleet Professionals is reporting. Paul Hollick, chair, said that a number of factors were combining to potentially slow the rate at which electric vehicles were being adopted by businesses and that fleet managers needed new strategies to maintain momentum. “When it comes to electrification, so far … [Read more...]
BEV charge is running down
The UK new car market grew by 9.5% in November to reach 156,525 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, but there's a slowdown in EV interest among private buyers. In the market’s best November for four years, registrations almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, down just 96 units (-0.1%) on 2019. Registrations in Wales rose 13.7% to 5,467 … [Read more...]
Newslines 4 December
Welsh Government is giving another £6.8M to bus companies in Wales to offset losses and operating costs since the Covid restrictions ended. Operators say falling passenger numbers and rising costs are wiping out profits and making routes unviable and the extra money has been branded as inadquate by Welsh Conservatives Climate Change Minister and Shadow Transport Minister, Natasha Asghar MS who … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi TT Roadster 40 TFSI
The Audi TT has reached the end of the road and what a journey it’s been. I was lucky enough to attend the UK launch of the TT Coupe in Leeds in 1999 (see below), a year after it went into production and on sale in Germany and now, a quarter of a century on, production has ceased. In that time there have been only three generations of the car but it developed from Coupe to Roadster and even … [Read more...]
Silver anniversary marks end of the road
The Audi TT – one of the most evocative and transformative models ever to have borne the four rings – celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2023, the year in which production of the Coupé and Roadster models will also draw to a close. To mark this very significant occasion, Audi UK journeyed to the Isle of Man, whose legendary annual TT race lent the design icon its name, to reflect on its … [Read more...]
EV deadline move will bolster buyers ICEs
More than four out of 10 dealers think used car buyers will stick with petrol and diesel cars for longer following the government’s decision to delay the new car electrifcation deadline to 2035. Startline’s November Used Car Tracker also shows that 29% believe the move will mean the used electric vehicle (EV) market will take longer to develop while 19% forecast that consumer demand for EVs will … [Read more...]
Tradelines 28 November
Volkswagen unions have been told next year will be "difficult" and the business is likely to slim down its workforce in Europe. A slower than expected take up of electric vehicles, continuing high investment in new products and intense competition from European and Far Eastern car makers has been cited as the business faces a tough two years until its new ranges become established. The … [Read more...]
Grenadier Quartermaster delivers next month
The first series production Grenadier Quartermaster double cab pick-ups have started rolling off INEOS Automotive’s production line in Hambach, France. Customer deliveries in Europe are due to start in December 2023, with shipments to Asia Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East following soon after. North American sales of the Quartermaster are scheduled to begin in early 2024. Aptly … [Read more...]