Ford has announced its first voluntary redundancy programme at Bridgend plant since the impending loss of its contract to build petrol engines for Jaguar Land Rover. Nearly 400 positions will be cut among hourly and salaried staff who apply ths month with reductions taking place at the end of this year when the JLR lines shut. Unions said earlier this year that about 1,000 jobs could go … [Read more...]
The price of power will surprise you
A new analysis indicates the amount motorists are willing to spend and reveals that horsepower and purchase price aren’t always directly correlated and you'll be surprised by the results. Every buyer has their own priorities when buying a new car: a large boot, comfortable seating, air conditioning, or intelligent assistance systems; yet horsepower remains a consistent customer … [Read more...]
Car production & investment sharply down – SMMT
British car production fell by 9 percent last year - the most since the recession ten years ago. Analysis by the SMMT suggests investment slumped by nearly half due to fears about Brexit, said the SMMT. Volumes have also been hit by a crackdown on diesel, tougher emissions rules disrupting new vehicle supply and a slowdown in China, the world’s no. 1 autos market. Last year saw the fall … [Read more...]
Keyless crime is challenge for popular cars
Some of the UK's most popular cars are increasingly becoming susceptible to keyless theft, says the consumer group Which? It looked at a German engineering report which identified the Fiesta, Golf, Qashqai and Focus were at risk from thieves using over the counter electronic devices to highjack key codes, enter a vehicle and sometimes drive it away. The German equivalent of the RAC and AA … [Read more...]
Newslines 18 January
Lotus Cars will be made in China by its two-year-old owner, Geeley, according to a Reuters’ report. It quoted Chinese job adverts and public planning notices in Wuhan, Central China which indicated a 150,000 models annually would be assembled in the new factory, possibly SUVs, but also derivatives of their classic sports cars currently assembled in Norfolk. A new study of 1500 motorists … [Read more...]
EVs & hybrids used propositions explained
The increasing numbers of electric and hybrid vehicles making their way onto the used market will be the focus of the first Vehicle Remarketing Association meeting of 2019, taking place on 23 January at Fleet Auction Group, Coalville. Key presentations will include Ian Featherstone of the Energy Saving Trust on background drivers for EV and hybrid adoption, vehicle and charging developments, … [Read more...]
Ford and VW confirm cvs and future technologies
Ford and Volkswagen today confirmed they will begin a joint venture to build and share vans and pickups from 2022. They will join forces in a bid to reduce costs and create new ranges of electric and self-driving cars, they announced at the Detroit Motor Show. Sales will begin in 2022 and will boost profits from 2023 and “Over time, this alliance will help both companies create value and … [Read more...]
SUV sales soar, but not for every manufacturer
Global SUV sales rose 6% last year to a hit a staggering 60% over five years. Toyota dominated the sector with 2.35M registrations, Nissan recorded 2.24M and they were well ahead of a shrinking Honda holding 1.84M and falling due to the run-out of the CR-V. Despite its expansion in the sector, Ford sold just under 1.6M some 3.5% down on the 2017 total. Hyundai recorded a near 19% … [Read more...]
Newslines 21 December
The VW Arteon five-seat coupe is now available to order with a new 272ps 2.0 TSi engine and seven speed automatic transmission. The flagship 4WD model comes in two trim levels from £39,065 and £39,850. Only four out of ten UK motorists (41%) would call the Police if they thought a car was being driven by a drunk driver. A quarter would ignore it completely if they saw a car meandering in … [Read more...]
Newslines 18 December
Car-parts entrepreneur Ian Warhust has stepped in to save the Bloodhound supersonic speed project after it went into administration in November. The 1,000mph Bloodhound team said it is being bought for an undisclosed amount by the Barnsley businessman and a future plan will be unveiled in January. As many as 20 million individual Christmas leisure trips will take place this week in the … [Read more...]