A Welsh journalism graduate has won a £1,000 prize, a driving experience at Silverstone and work experience at two of the UK’s top automotive publications. Niall Evans, from Bridgend, was one of four students taking the automotive journalism module at Cardiff University, with work entered for the annual prize offered by Welsh Motoring Writers. But the prize presentation differed this year from … [Read more...]
Industry
Fleets hold key to UK ev drive
The fleet sector’s pivotal role in delivering zero-emission road transport will see it responsible for 75% of battery electric vehicles on UK roads by 2025. To demonstrate the huge commitment that its members are making to decarbonise, the BVRLA has launched its new Plug in Pledge, which shows the rental, leasing and fleet operator sector owning and operating around 900,000 BEVs within five … [Read more...]
Welsh drivers are leading car buyers
Drivers in Wales are ahead of the UK. It’s the only part of the country to record car sales rising in September, when they went up 2.15% and contrasted with a maximum decline of 5.21% in England. New car registrations last month were down overall in the UK by 4.44% to 327,732 but in Wales they rose to 12,135 new cars, easily passing the 11,880 in September 2019. Demand for battery … [Read more...]
Newslines 6 October
Mazda Your Way is a new national scheme to help prospective owners tie up with a local dealership. After a pilot in London, Mazda Your Way permits remote connections from initial enquiry to final purchase and delivery of their chosen car. Midlands and North East car plants of Toyota and Nissan have reportedly asked the UK government to reimburse them if charged an additional 10% tax on exports … [Read more...]
Vans deliver good returns in September
Home deliveries have delivered for the UK van market. Sales of light commercials grew by 26.4% in September following a weak month last year, when the market was affected by emission regulations changes. “It is encouraging to see the van market experience an uplift in registrations of over a quarter indicating that a degree of confidence has returned to the sector”, said Sue Robinson, Chief … [Read more...]
Drive begins to save apprenticeships
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Charitable Trust Fund has launched the SMMT Apprentice Support Programme, designed to help safeguard the jobs of apprentices currently working within the automotive industry. The scheme comes as the government-funded furlough scheme is poised to end in a month’s time, to be replaced by new measures to support short time working. The … [Read more...]
Newslines 2 October
CUPRA has started production of the new Formentor, the first vehicle uniquely designed and developed for the brand. The CUPRA Formentor will be available to order in the UK from Tuesday 20 October, starting with the 2.0-litre 310PS petrol engine, and followed by other engines including the plug-in hybrid variant. MG has beaten its 2019 sales targets already as the UK’s fastest-growing car brand … [Read more...]
Re-Leaf engineered to meet emergencies
British engineers have transformed an electric car into an emergency response vehicle designed to provide a clean power supply to areas hit by natural disasters and extreme weather. The Nissan RE-LEAF is based on the Sunderland-built LEAF family hatchback. But instead of school-runs and motorway miles, the highly modified motor is better suited to navigating roads covered in … [Read more...]
Newslines 1 October
Audi is rolling out a plug-in hybrid version of its A3 Sportback from £33,060 and it’s comes to Britain before 2021. The compact 204ps Sport and S line models will cover 41 miles on traction battery alone and it joins the PHEV versions of the brand’s bigger models. Hyundai Ultimate Mobility Vehicles will be developed by a pioneering unit of the Korean car-maker, its New Horizons Studio. Based … [Read more...]
Businesses stretch to survive
New data compiled by epyx has shown the increased level of contract extensions made on company cars and vans during the coronavirus crisis. Looking at transactions through its 1link Service Network service, maintenance and repair (SMR) platform, used by fleets operating four million vehicles, it has produced a comparison for April-August 2020 – the height of the pandemic so far – with the same … [Read more...]