All credit must go to the new MG5 EV Estate. As many manufacturers fall over themselves to produce what are essentially the same pure electric cars in hatchbacks or saloon styles, the MG5 stands out from a crowd of challengers because it has none, at least no pure electric estate cars in this price bracket. The MG5 estate sounds unremarkable but that really shouts out about its ability to be a … [Read more...]
Newcomers
Honda e:HRV further step on electrification this year
Honda is boosting its electric offensive with the introduction of the e:HRV in November. The new generation HRV uses two electric motors driving the front wheels to assist the regular 1.5 litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine but it’s not a plug-in hybrid. The 131ps maximum powertrain develops 253Nm at 4,500rpm and is essentially a boosted version of that in the Honda Jazz and comes as the … [Read more...]
Newslines 23 April
To complement Nissan’s range of striking crossovers, 2022 will see the introduction of the fourth generation all-new X-Trail, whose world debut took place at Auto Shanghai 2021 this week. Like its cousin the All-New Qashqai, it will be based upon the Alliance CMF-C platform, which is the highly advanced architecture which was designed to accommodate Nissan’s advanced e‑POWER powertrain, as … [Read more...]
Fleet emissions sink to record low
The BVRLA has published its latest Quarterly Leasing Survey showing that average CO2 emissions for members’ new car registrations have fallen below 100g/km for the first time ever. During the Q4-2020 reporting period, average CO2 emissions were 98g/km compared to the average UK car fleet of 114.2g/km, highlighting the green credentials of the vehicle leasing sector. BVRLA rental and leasing … [Read more...]
Tradelines 21 April
The Volkswagen ID.4 has been voted World Car of the Year 2021. Over 90 international motoring writers nominated the pure electric model and it marks the fifth time VW has taken the top award. Future smart motorways have been parked up until radar technology improves to make them safer after a series of fatal accidents and severe injuries. The Government announced the halt following protests … [Read more...]
Analysts at IHS Markit see big swings for EVs
Many markets will become pure BEV/ZEV sales markets by 2040 at the latest with only few exceptions, according to IHS Markit estimates. The ICE sales era in Europe will be replaced by the BEV sales era between 2035 and 2040. In China, IHS Markit expects New Energy Vehicles (NEV) sales targets to be around 40% by 2030, greater than 50% by 2035 and up to 100% by 2050 at the latest. The U.S. will … [Read more...]
BMW M xDrive sharpens newest model series
Shortly after launching the M3 Competition Saloon and M4 Competition Coupé, BMW will add two variants to the line-up with the M xDrive all-wheel drive system for the high-performance sports cars in the premium midsize segment for the first time. With more driven wheels, the new BMW M3 Competition Saloon M xDrive and BMW M4 Competition Coupé M xDrive take the exclusive M feeling to an … [Read more...]
Good Energy launch free flash green tariff for cars
A new ‘flash’ tariff will contain weekly periods when charging is free for Good Energy subscribers. The tariff will include ‘flash’ windows based on periods when Britain is generating an abundance of solar and wind power. When this happens, the tariff will alert drivers to a four-hour window when charging their vehicle will come at no extra cost, and entirely backed by Good Energy’s 100% … [Read more...]
Morgan 4/4 & Triumph Stag go electric
Classic car electrification company Electrogenic has finalised two ‘World First’ conversions of classic vehicles to electric power. The Oxford-based leader in classic car EV technology takes beautiful classic cars and sympathetically converts them to electric power using its proprietary EV engineering and technology. It’s announced two conversions; a 1976 Triumph Stag and a 1957 … [Read more...]
Maserati Levante Hybrid arrives in July
The Maserati Levante Hybrid is the company’s next model as it realigns its EV range. The car's been revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show this week and will go on UK sale in July when its price will be revealed. It uses an e-boosted version of the company’s 2.0 four-cylinder petrol engine with sophisticated recharging system and permanent 4x4 drive. Levante Hybrid combines … [Read more...]