Cardiff-based commercial vehicle service manager Karl Hadley has won a prestigious trophy from Mercedes-Benz Vans, in recognition of his exemplary customer service. Karl, who is a key member of the aftersales team at South Wales Dealer Euro Commercials, stepped up to collect the Keeping Businesses Moving Award at the manufacturer’s annual Van Stars celebration of excellence within its … [Read more...]
Boost for smaller “green” automotive companies
Small and Medium Enterprises involved in development of low carbon technologies have secured long-term orders annually worth up to £1.5 million by exhibiting on a UK Government Pavilion managed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre. “Building strong international relationships has perhaps never been more important to the UK automotive industry and the UK Pavilions are playing a pivotal … [Read more...]
New blow for car makers in WLTP tests
The European Commission has tightened the WLTP test for new cars after indications automakers were 'gaming' their results. It may also demand manufacturers retest cars already signed off, leading to confusion in showrooms and where emissions figures are used by Governments to assess tax levels. The updated regulation, which came into force in February, requires automakers to switch on all … [Read more...]
Lessons in history on wheels from India
Britain can learn a great deal from what’s happening in India right now, when it comes to attracting young people into the historic vehicle movement, says FIVA President Patrick Rollet. In March, FIVA (the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens or international federation of historic vehicles) held its General Council meeting in Bangalore, India’s fast growing tech city. Explaining why … [Read more...]
Potholes take a pounding on road users
Councils repaired 1.86 million potholes over the last 12 months, more than 20% increase on the previous year. The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey found that highway maintenance budgets have increased from an average of £20.6m to £24.5m year-on-year, mostly "patch and mend" repairs. The report estimated that councils would actually need to spend £1bn a year for the next … [Read more...]
Newslines 26 March
The number of motorists ditching vehicles in Wales has increased by more than 200% in five years, as the region has become a scrapyard for abandoned cars. Details obtained by Confused.com through Freedom of Information requests to local authorities in Wales reveals 466 abandoned vehicles were removed by councils in 2017/18 – that’s one car per day on average, at a cost of £30,793. Delaying … [Read more...]
Newslines 25 March
Hyundai has announced UK pricing for NEXO, the company’s 2nd generation hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle which is available to order directly from Hyundai Motor UK. The £65,995 NEXO brings the very latest in hydrogen fuel cell and electric powertrain technology, with a range of up to 414 miles and it joins Kona Electric and IONIQ Electric as the latest electrified Hyundai model … [Read more...]
New cars still offering poor theft security, say experts
Half of new cars so far launched this year have been rated as offering poor security and one was said to be "unacceptable" by insurance test body Thatcham Research. The new ratings assess whether measures to specifically address the keyless entry/start vulnerability, have been adopted. Six of the 11 vehicles launched this year have been given a ‘Poor’ rating as the keyless entry/start system … [Read more...]
New car tax changes and how they affect you
The Government’s Spring Statement 2019 has outlined how April 2019 changes to vehicle-related taxes will hit fleets and drivers. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond’s second Spring Statement was an update on the health of the UK economy and the state of the Government’s finances, rather than laying out any major new tax or spending announcements. The fleet industry had hoped that the … [Read more...]
Autonomous driving interest accelerates
Three in ten drivers (31%) now favour self-driving cars, up from one in ten (10%) a year ago, they told pollsters for the Britain Under the Bonnet report from Close Brothers Motor Finance. At a time when Government has recently announced plans for driverless cars to be on UK roads as early as 2021, the latest figures show how perceptions are changing and trends are beginning to … [Read more...]