The all-new Nissan Qashqai has been awarded the top five-star safety rating by the independent European New Car Assessment Programme, a particularly notable achievement given the vehicle was assessed under the new, more stringent 2020-2022 protocol. It did particularly well in adult protection and highly scored in protecting pedestrians, but the Renault Zoe and Dacia have been slated for … [Read more...]
Newcomers
Turnaround in new car sales led by EVs raises issues
New car sales rose 1.7% year on year in November, ending four consecutive months of decline. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reported 115,706 new cars were registered last month, up from 113,781 in the same period last year. The trade body noted this small uptick "must be viewed in the context of a weak 2020, when lockdowns impacted registrations". With the … [Read more...]
Newslines 6 December
Polestar has released a second teaser image of the forthcoming Polestar 3 pure electric performance SUV. It will launch in 2022 as the company’s first SUV and will be its first vehicle to be built in the US, in Charleston, South Carolina. Stellantis has collaborated on a pilot project to build near Milan a 1,000 metre road implanted with an electrical loop to test inductive charging in … [Read more...]
Wales powers ahead with car chargers
Wales is out-performing the rest of the UK installing charging points, say the car makers. New analysis by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed that the ratio of vehicle chargepoints to plug-in cars deteriorated by -31% during 2020. The research shows that at the end of 2019, 11 plug-in vehicles potentially shared a standard public chargepoint capable of charging both … [Read more...]
Used electric vans are a new challenge
The remarketing sector needs to learn to present used electric vans correctly to maximise their saleability, delegates were told at a webinar organised by the Vehicle Remarketing Association. Paul Kirby, of EV Essentials, explained that additional care needed to be taken to highlight operational factors such as range, speed of charging, and payload. “Arguably more so than diesel vans, … [Read more...]
Cold weather chills ev-battery performance
Freezing weather and increased cabin heating could see some of the UK’s most popular EV models lose more than 30 miles of range this winter. The data from Vertu Motors finds that a cold snap could cause an EV to lose up to nine per cent of its range overnight, due to the intense energy usage required to power through the freeze. Most popular EVs Range miles Range lost Range … [Read more...]
Kia’s generation game changer
For a generation of motorists it’s difficult to think that Kia Motors UK never existed and for others it’s hard to believe how far they have come in 30 years. Entering UK showrooms in 1991 with the rebadged Mazda 121 selling as the Kia Pride, the Korean brand registered 1,800 sales, but that was just a ripple of what was to come. The following year registrations doubled and they have … [Read more...]
Repairers are poorly prepared for rising EV sales
The steep rise in electric vehicle sales is a pivotal moment for all EV stakeholders, writes Adrian Watson, Head of Engineering Research at Thatcham Research. September 2021 was the UK’s best month ever for new battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Not only did the 32,721 new BEV registrations account for 15.2% of the market, … [Read more...]
Newslines 26 November
Isuzu UK has handed over the keys to an All-New Isuzu D-Max V-Cross to Welsh Rugby Union star and Brand Ambassador Josh Navidi as the pick-up professionals continue their role as Official Automotive Partner to the WRU. Navidi, a Welsh International Rugby Union player who also plays for Cardiff Rugby and British and Irish Lions, collected the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross from local dealership David … [Read more...]
Global net-zero target moves back half a century
COP26 has confirmed that world-wide net zero emissions by 2050 won’t happen. The drive to tackle climate change needs to start with solutions that are available here and now, argues Ben Richardson, CEO of greentech company SulNOx Group PLC. One of the key aims of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow was to get the world to agree to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Even if that had been … [Read more...]