Ford and Venari Group have agreed to build new emergency services vehicles in the Dagenham plant. The Ford Venari Alliance brings together Ford, the UK market leader in commercial vehicles and Venari, the UK’s largest emergency service vehicle provider, in plans to manufacture the all-new, lightweight front-line ambulance – unveiled by Ford and Venari earlier this year. Based on the Ford … [Read more...]
Newcomers
£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...]
RAC offer new all-in EV leasing scheme
The RAC has launched a new leasing service to make switching to a brand-new EV easier and more affordable – with market-leading deals available from day one. More than three-quarters (78%) of drivers believe pure electric cars are still too expensive, so the motoring body has joined forces with Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions to offer a wide range of the most popular EV models currently … [Read more...]
Newslines 6 July
The Scorpion brand returns to make the hearts of the Abarth fans beat even faster with the new 180HP 1.4 T-Jet 695 Esseesse limited edition, but its British sale date and prices have not been given. Produced in a limited edition of just 1,390 models, split equally by 695 in Scorpion black and 695 in Campovolo grey, distinctive exterior and interior, the Abarth 695 Esseesse is the … [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...]
Newcomers: Kia Niro addition & Cupra duo
Special edition Kia Niro Connect links in. It will cost from £25,995 for Hybrid models rising to £31,355 for Plug-in Hybrid version. The new Niro ‘Connect’ offers greater value and choice to buyers of the brand’s perennially popular hybrid family SUV, and is available to order from UK dealers now. The limited edition ‘Connect’ model sits between the ‘2’ and ‘3’ grade models in the Niro line-up … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Skoda Octavia Estate vRS 245ps
There’s something attractive about being able to cover ground quickly but discretely. Which probably explains why specialist police units like the Skoda Octavia Estate vRS. It’s quick, very quick in the right hands, and is roomy and comfortable for long stints in service. The technology under the bonnet and bodywork is straight out of the Volkswagen Group parts departments so its reliable as … [Read more...]
First drive: Suzuki Jimny LCV
One of Britain’s most eagerly awaited new models hits showrooms on Monday and it’s almost certainly going to lead to a “brown market” price war. The Suzuki Jimny LCV will be limited to about 400 sales this year and they are expected to be snapped up even more quickly than the Jimny lightweight 4x4 SUV two years ago. Priced from about £16,700 before VAT as a commercial vehicle the Jimny LCV will … [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...]
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...]