Hyundai will supply 180 Kona Electric 64kWh vehicles to Police Scotland. The agreement supports Police Scotland’s ambition to establish the first blue light, ultra-low emission vehicle fleet in the UK while making a significant contribution towards the Scottish Government's legally binding target to cut greenhouse gases to net-zero by 2045. Big holding areas for lorries leaving and entering … [Read more...]
News
Niall nails writing award in Wales
A Welsh journalism graduate has won a £1,000 prize, a driving experience at Silverstone and work experience at two of the UK’s top automotive publications. Niall Evans, from Bridgend, was one of four students taking the automotive journalism module at Cardiff University, with work entered for the annual prize offered by Welsh Motoring Writers. But the prize presentation differed this year from … [Read more...]
Welshman sets sights on Belgian comeback
Welshman Meirion Evans hasn’t contested a rally since the beginning of February due to the Covid-19 pandemic putting the brakes on motorsport events around the world. But his unplanned enforced break ends Sunday when he contests the Aarova Rally, Belgium. The 25-year old driver was all set to challenge for the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title this year – but the series was cancelled after … [Read more...]
Fleets hold key to UK ev drive
The fleet sector’s pivotal role in delivering zero-emission road transport will see it responsible for 75% of battery electric vehicles on UK roads by 2025. To demonstrate the huge commitment that its members are making to decarbonise, the BVRLA has launched its new Plug in Pledge, which shows the rental, leasing and fleet operator sector owning and operating around 900,000 BEVs within five … [Read more...]
Tradelines 7 October
Daimler will cut fixed costs, capital expenditure research and development costs more than 20% by 2025 compared with 2019 levels as part of a strategy overhaul to reposition Mercedes-Benz more upmarket as a luxury brand. The company’s ambition is to achieve a double-digit return on sales margin by doubling sales of Maybach branded cars, and ramping up sales of AMG and G-Wagon derivatives of … [Read more...]
Gravells & Pentraeth win Kia recognition
Kia’s Welsh dealers Gravells and Pentraeth Automotive have been singled out for their outstanding recovery from this spring’s CV-19 lockdown. With dealerships across the UK reopening in June following the UK wide lockdown, Kia Motors (UK) Limited has rewarded 34 dealers across its 187-strong network for their outstanding performance since reopening. With a long tradition of recognising and … [Read more...]
Video calling is latest driving hazard
The rise in popularity of the likes of FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Snapchat for video calls is posing a new and present danger on roads. Amost one-in-five (18%) of drivers aged 17-24 admit taking part in video calls while behind the wheel, figures for the RAC Report on Motoring 2020 reveal. Younger drivers are more than twice as likely to say they make or receive video calls while … [Read more...]
Welsh drivers are leading car buyers
Drivers in Wales are ahead of the UK. It’s the only part of the country to record car sales rising in September, when they went up 2.15% and contrasted with a maximum decline of 5.21% in England. New car registrations last month were down overall in the UK by 4.44% to 327,732 but in Wales they rose to 12,135 new cars, easily passing the 11,880 in September 2019. Demand for battery … [Read more...]
Newslines 6 October
Mazda Your Way is a new national scheme to help prospective owners tie up with a local dealership. After a pilot in London, Mazda Your Way permits remote connections from initial enquiry to final purchase and delivery of their chosen car. Midlands and North East car plants of Toyota and Nissan have reportedly asked the UK government to reimburse them if charged an additional 10% tax on exports … [Read more...]
Vans deliver good returns in September
Home deliveries have delivered for the UK van market. Sales of light commercials grew by 26.4% in September following a weak month last year, when the market was affected by emission regulations changes. “It is encouraging to see the van market experience an uplift in registrations of over a quarter indicating that a degree of confidence has returned to the sector”, said Sue Robinson, Chief … [Read more...]