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...]
Fleets’ worries over EV costs and charging
Almost six in ten fleets which are not considering implementing electric vehicles named a lack of public charging infrastructure as the biggest barrier to their adoption. However, the majority of perceived barriers listed by non-EV adopting fleets reduced significantly over the last year, according to results from the latest Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer research. When the same non-EV … [Read more...]
Full throttle drive to boost evs and manufacturing jobs
Car makers have called for millions of new charging points to be installed in Britain and for Government help towards building enormous factories to manufacture traction batteries for new cars if the UK is to hit its low and zero emissions goals. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ambitious plan, ‘Full Throttle: Driving UK Automotive Competitiveness’, is intended secure the future of … [Read more...]
EVs real threat to jobs
EU legislators are preparing to ban sales of petrol and diesel powered vehicles by 2035 as it toughens emissions laws. A proposal to slash 60% cut in emissions at current levels by 2030 due to be announced in three weeks will precede the total block and it comes as Jaguar says it will be moving future EVs up-market to match Porsche and Bentley. CLEPA said in a statement, such stringent … [Read more...]
Metal printed parts pioneered by Volkswagen
Volkswagen is pushing ahead with the use of innovative 3D printers in car production. For the first time, binder jetting is being used to manufacture components at the company’s main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. Whereas conventional 3D printing uses a laser to build a component layer by layer from metallic powder, the binder jetting process uses an adhesive. The resulting metallic component is … [Read more...]
Lawmakers fail to understand technology, say suppliers
The planned European wide ban on petrol and diesel cars is not supported by technical data, said Sigrid de Vries, Secretary General of CLEPA, the association of automotive suppliers. “The steeper the target, without recognition of sustainable renewable fuels, the closer one gets to a de facto ban on the internal combustion engine. Without renewable fuels acknowledged in this law, if you need a … [Read more...]
Newslines 22 June
Audi will stop introducing new models using petrol and diesel engines from 2026, reports German paper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The Bavarian daily newspaper has quoted Audi CEO Markus Duesmann comments to labour representatives and top managers last week. Hybrid and PHEV versions will be offered in the Hyundai Tucson N Line range this summer. They offer up to 38 miles on electric power alone and … [Read more...]
EC steel tariffs hitting car industry recovery & jobs, say suppliers
The European Association for Automotive Suppliers is concerned that the European Commission’s proposal to extend the safeguard measure which is restricting steel imports into the EU will hurt the competitiveness of automotive suppliers and put thousands of jobs at risk. Continuing the safeguard measures in a time where steel mills are struggling to meet demand, and prices for steel have reached … [Read more...]