Business group Logistics UK is dismayed by the announcement of the continued relaxation of drivers’ hours legislation until 8 August 2021. It governs the length of time which HGV drivers are legally expected to work and James Firth, the organisation’s Head of Road Freight Regulation Policy, explains the announcement will heap more pressure on drivers who are already stretched to the limit to … [Read more...]
Aurobay is new powerhouse for Volvo & Geely
Volvo Cars and parent Geely Holding have will create a joint venture under the name Aurobay for its powertrain operations as the companies proceed with their announced plans to merge these into a new, stand-alone business. The new company will be a global supplier of complete powertrain solutions including next generation combustion engines, transmissions and hybrid … [Read more...]
Two new family cars lack the ultimate safety features, say testers
Two popular new family cars fall short of the best protection for occupants compared to their rivals, say safety testers. In the latest round of Euro NCAP tests, the new Renault Kangoo and Opel Mokka both earn four stars, one below the highest rating.. The long overdue, new edition of the Renault Kangoo MPV performed well in crash tests, but with only moderate side impact protection offered, its … [Read more...]
Suzuki’s century of ideas & cleaner seas
They may be one of the smaller engineering companies, but Suzuki has consistently shown over a century that it’s the size of an idea which matters, not the business itself. Some 11 years before the Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co was officially formed in 1920, founder Michio Suzuki pioneered a new type of textile loom design in 1909 after watching his mother using her labour intensive and … [Read more...]
Vauxhall’s electrifying plans for newcomers
Vauxhall’s electric drive is accelerating. British brand will focus entirely on full battery electric vehicles from 2028, it has revealed just days after announcing a £100Million investment in electric vans and people movers at Ellesmere Port from next year. Paul Willcox, Managing Director, Vauxhall Motors, said, “As of 2028, Vauxhall will only offer fully electric cars and vans in the … [Read more...]
£100M electric models going to Ellesmere Port
A £100M investment is going into Ellesmere Port, Cheshire vehicle plant of Vauxhall parent Stellantis to build pure electric vans and people carriers in 2022. It lost the next Astra car project but has secured the new investment to build models for Stellantis brands of Vauxhall, Opel, Peugeot and Citroen and will be exporting most of the production to Europe. Announcing the plan, Stellantis paid … [Read more...]
Tesla top UK registrations as recovery continues
New car sales are recovering but more slowly than expected by car makers. The global shortage of micro-chips is affecting outputs from plants, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. June’s UK registrations of 186,128 new cars is 16.4% below the last decade’s average for the month and the second quarter’s total is still 9,000 units short of their expectations due to the chip … [Read more...]
Newslines 5 July
Over the past 12 months used car purchases completed entirely via mobile devices have soared by 48.7%, compared with a rise of 22.1% on desktop or laptop computers and BuyaCar analysts say that transactions via tablets, such as iPads, are also up, but account for little more than one in every 100 sales. Mobile phones are thought to account for a tenth of sales. One in 20 learner drivers have … [Read more...]
£1 Billion Nissan investment boosts EVs
Thousands of jobs will be created or secured in Britain after Nissan announced this morning that it’s building its next electric car in Sunderland. About 900 new jobs will be added to the plant which currently builds the Leaf EV and a further 750 places will be created when Nissan Chinese partner Envision AESC constructs a new traction battery plant adjacent to the car lines. The £1 … [Read more...]
Tradelines 30 June
Ford has expanded FORDLive connected uptime system to European fleet operators with the introduction of Ford Telematics Essentials – a complimentary new fleet management tool designed to help increase the productivity of connected commercial vehicles. Smart Maintenance alerts based on real-time vehicle health data help businesses to maximise uptime by reducing the number of breakdowns and … [Read more...]