The 2018 Paris Motor Show this week comes at a time when the European automotive industry is facing three major challenges: the introduction of WLTP, trade tensions in the US, and the outcome of Brexit negotiations. How quickly the market continues to grow will depend on how quickly it adapts to the knock-on effects caused by these factors. In the face of these challenges, car makers have … [Read more...]
Buyers seriously considering ev and fuel cell cars
Green-group Transport & Environment say 40% of car buyers across Europe will buy or lease an electric or fuel cell powered, but manufacturers are slow to meet demand. A considerable 5-12% of citizens across the countries surveyed say it is very likely they'll buy an electric next and their MORI survey shows there is an immediate opportunity to grow the 2% of sales that presently can be … [Read more...]
£2.5M to clean up older polluting CVs
The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership welcomed the announcement that up to £2.5 million Government funding is being made available to increase the range of vehicle retrofit technologies capable of cutting emissions from larger road vehicles already in use and enable them to meet Clean Air Zone and ULEZ requirements. The funding will support vital testing of new technologies for the ground-breaking … [Read more...]
Sports stars shine experience on JLR
Ahead of October’s Invictus Games Sydney 2018, Presenting Partner Jaguar Land Rover invited wounded, injured and sick warriors to experience a self-driving Range Rover Sport on some of the UK’s most complicated roads. Team UK Captain Mark ‘Dot’ Perkins and Italian team member Simone Careddu joined former competitors Jamie Weller and JJ Chalmers to ride in the level 4 autonomous SUV on public … [Read more...]
Newslines 29 September
Ford and VW will deepen their relationship with production and component parts, say Reuters, quoting companies spokesmen. Ford stock has sunk 24% this year and is now trading at a near six-year low as a new CEO Jim Hackett was brought in to make strategic cuts and changes including working more closely with VW in Europe and Mahindra of India. VW has told German Government it will make … [Read more...]
Car makers poorly prepared for new law
The European car market saw spectacular growth in August, recording the highest August result in the last twenty years. But this strong growth was artificial as registrations were boosted by stock clearances ahead of the introduction of tougher new emissions tests under the World Light Car Test Programme, or WLTP, on the 1 September. This is evidenced by unusual results in typically slow … [Read more...]
Newslines 28 September
Plans for a new A487 road behind Newgate, Pembrokeshire have been unveiled. It is being threatened by rising tides and a bus was washed off it four years ago so planners have proposed a viaduct or two schemes to bypass the village. Caerphilly Council is seeking funding to introduce electric buses on local routes in a first for Wales. It’s also planning to install public electric-vehicle … [Read more...]
Tradelines 26 September
The FitCar PPV ‘prototype #2’ is based on a standard Audi A4 Avant 2.0L petrol TFSI auto, with the throttle replaced by a bicycle pedal mechanism and mated to a flywheel, which generates an electronic pulse to engage the accelerator. The car is powered as normal, delivering manufacturer specification performance and economy, governed by an active pedalling motion instead of the conventional … [Read more...]
7.3 M UK cars branded “dirty diesels”
There are now 43 million dirty diesels on Europe’s roads, and their numbers continue to grow three years after the 'Dieselgate scandal' was exposed, a new report concludes. Even a diesel car that passed the EU’s new on-road test emits nine times the legal amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx) when driven in a way more representative of typical driving, new testing shows. Non-governmental … [Read more...]
Warranty worries over technology and responsibility
New technology and parts sharing is posing a tough challenge for vehicle makers to decide on warranty cover. Warranty and quality specialists from automotive suppliers met at the 2018 CLEPA Warranty Conference in Frankfurt, to discuss the future challenges in managing warranty in the future and the headline of the conference was “Warranty in a digital world”. Partners from Strategy&, a … [Read more...]