The Nissan LEAF has reached its 10th birthday. During that time 500,000 LEAF owners have covered over 16 Billion Kms and prevented a massive 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere every year, while covering enough kilometres to drive around the earth 400,000 times! Hyundai UK has confirmed pricing and specifications for its comprehensively updated Kona sub-compact SUV, which now … [Read more...]
Industry
Newslines 11 December
Drivers were collectively planning about 13m separate trips by car to see family and friends during the coronavirus ‘travel window’ between 23 and 27 December, although a fifth (22%) don’t expect to make any such journeys this year because of the virus, research by RAC Breakdown suggests. With two weeks to go until Christmas, the greatest number of individual trips – some 3.1m – look likely to … [Read more...]
Battery plant is a non-starter for Wales
Wales has lost another massive automotive investment. The £2.6 Billion Britishvolt gigaplant which held the promise of 5,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent posts will not now be built at St Athan and the company says it will go to a 230 acres site in Blythe, Northumberland. The decision follows a few months of talks with Welsh Government during which time Britishvolt appointed Italian … [Read more...]
Microchips take a battering
Vehicle makers have had their chips, as industry watchers report a global shortage of some software used by automotive manufactuers. As China recovers from the CV-19 pandemic it is the first to experience the shortage of microchips used for a variety of in-vehicle applications. Components made or assembled in China are not the only units to suffer as many microchips come from Europe and it is … [Read more...]
Motorbikes rebalancing after virus-hit
November’s motorcycle sales figures confirmed a fantastic year on year performance, during a challenging trading period, with dealers embracing the use of click and collect to meet consumer demand through the second lockdown, said Paddy O’Connell, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association. Commenting on the latest MCIA motorcycle sales figures, he said that Powered Two Wheels (PTW) … [Read more...]
Tradelines 9 December
Aston Martin is seeing “phenomenal” demand, with a rebound in China, said the company’s executive chairman and billionaire investor Lawrence Stroll. “Demand right now is phenomenal,” he told the Financial Times’ The Future of the Car digital conference, adding “China really returned first and strongest, and is gangbusters.” GKN Automotive is strengthening its eDrive technology leadership as 13 … [Read more...]
Newslines 8 December
A New ‘C-Series’ trim level is available on Citroen C3, C3 Aircross models. They will be sold online with five-year extended warranty and have special paint and equipment in their lineup, 1.2 petrol engine and five-speed manual transmission from £13,980 when they get to showrooms in Spring 2021.Suzuki has teamed up with Computers 4 Charity, a long established and renowned not-for-profit … [Read more...]
Volvo XC60 range widens
Volvo's award-winning XC60 mid-size SUV is now available with a full range of electrified powertrains. The former World Car of the Year is offered purely with hybrid power, from mild-hybrid petrols and diesels to petrol-electric plug-in hybrids. Every mild-hybrid powertrain in the XC60 range combines a powerful 2.0-litre engine with a 48-volt battery and a KERS kinetic energy recovery system to … [Read more...]
Newslines 7 December
Fuel prices remained almost unchanged in November despite a barrel of oil shooting up $10 to $46 – a 27% monthly rise, shows data from RAC Fuel Watch. The average price of a litre of unleaded across the UK at the end of November was 114.33p – having fallen very slightly (0.19p) from 114.52p at the start of the month, while diesel dropped by a similar amount from 117.85p to 117.63p … [Read more...]
UK car sales plunge nearly 30% in November
New car registrations slumped by 27.4% in November in Britain, according to the Society of Motor Manufactuers and Traders, as English showrooms were closed in the latest lockdown. Click and collect helped sals achieve 113,781 and “With a vaccine now approved, the business and consumer confidence on which this sector depends can only improve, giving the industry more optimism for the turn of the … [Read more...]
