A new £1.8m fund to encourage businesses to move beyond manufacturing internal combustion engines to producing low carbon vehicle technologies, helping to stimulate innovative economic growth in Wales, is being established by Ford and the Welsh Government. The Ford Low Carbon Vehicle Transition Fund, administered by the Welsh Government as part of Ford’s legacy in Wales after … [Read more...]
Newcomers
£100,000 Land Rover Defenders red carpet Bond editions
Land Rover SV Bespoke has created a new Land Rover Defender V8 Bond Edition to celebrate the 25th James Bond film, No Time To Die, ahead of its world premiere. Available to order as a Defender 90 or 110 and inspired by the specification of the Defenders that appear in No Time To Die, the stealthy Defender V8 Bond Edition features an Extended Black Pack with 22-inch Gloss Black alloy wheels, … [Read more...]
Newslines 6 September
A new European specific Kia Sportage will be unveiled at the German Motor Show this week and in UK showrooms next spring. A new plug-in hybrid variant will be in the line up when it comes to Britain next year and it features a curved screen for instruments and features to be displayed to the driver. Hagerty research suggests Government information on the latest E10 petrol compatibility with … [Read more...]
New Vauxhall Astra orders open this autumn
The forthcoming eighth generation Vauxhall Astra will be available with petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains when they get into dealerships early next year and a fully electric model will arrive in 2023. A Sport Tourer will go on sale in about 12 months time as Vauxhall ramp up their offensive and work towards a fully electric line up of all models by 2028. … [Read more...]
AI checks if all’s well in the cell
Artificial intelligence has been developed to accurately predict when a traction battery will run out of charge. The work by Eatron Technologies and WMG was funded through the Faraday Battery Challenge and means the UK becomes a supplier of the most advanced Battery Management Systems in the world. The innovation of project COBRA as it’s called comes from combining advanced battery ageing models … [Read more...]
Chinese electric vans heading to UK next year
Two Chinese electric van brands will go on sale in Britain early next year with five year warranties. DFSK and Skywell models will be imported by Innovation Automotive, based in the Cotswolds, and CEO is Paul Brigden, formerly Operations Director of Mitsubishi Motors UK headquartered in Cirencester. The vehicles will be imported through Portbury, Bristol docks but the number of jobs being … [Read more...]
EU car sales slow but UK CV production rises
According to data from 26 European markets, new car registrations slowed in July, recording a year-on-year decline of 24% as total volume decreased from 1.27 million units to 967,830. Similar results were recorded in July 2012, when the market registered 966,090 units. The year-to-date results remain positive, up by 17% compared to 2020 with 7,381,735 units registered, but down by 24% when … [Read more...]
Park and plug to overcome range anxiety
Rented driveways and empty parking spaces are leading the drive to end EV charge point anxiety, considered one of the main barriers to mass EV adoption. It follows a recent official report that has criticised the ‘postcode lottery’ of electric vehicle charging which urges more action to ensure the charging network is fit for purpose in order to help the Government meet its climate … [Read more...]
Newcomer: Range Rover Sport SVR Ultimate
Special Vehicle Operations has launched a new edition Range Rover Sport SVR with spectacular solid glass flake paintwork options for the first time. Featuring a selection of exclusive colour combinations and interior detailing by the SV Bespoke vehicle personalisation team, the 575PS Range Rover Sport SVR Ultimate enhances the visual appeal of the fastest and most powerful vehicle in the Land … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi Q4 e-tron Sport 40 204ps
The Audi Q4 e-tron really is shaping up to challenge in the pure-battery electric car sector with its first compact SUV. As befits Audi, the Q4 e-tron is available with a wide choice of power units, 125, 150 or 220kW outputs from two battery capacities, rear or all-wheel-drive and four trim levels including a well-specified launch edition. Depending on the battery pack chosen … [Read more...]