The UK new car market grew by 9.5% in November to reach 156,525 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, but there's a slowdown in EV interest among private buyers. In the market’s best November for four years, registrations almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, down just 96 units (-0.1%) on 2019. Registrations in Wales rose 13.7% to 5,467 … [Read more...]
Retail News
Classics go futuristic
Goodwood's 2024 Revival will serve as a landmark moment in motorsport history, as the entire weekend of historic racing is set to take place exclusively using sustainable fuel. Already an event that champions second-hand sustainability, today’s announcement sees the Revival further extend its Revive & Thrive ethos with sustainable fuel ensuring the future of classic combustion engine … [Read more...]
Hyundai Group develop in-wheel ev motors
Kia Corporation and Hyundai Motor Company have unveiled the Universal Wheel Drive System — called ‘Uni Wheel’ — at ‘Uni Wheel Tech Day’ in Seoul, Korea. This paradigm-shifting vehicle drive system will revolutionise the design of future mobility devices. Uni Wheel is a functionally integrated wheel drive system that dramatically improves available space inside an electric vehicle (EV) by … [Read more...]
SMMT gets new president
The 83rd President of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) will be Mick Flanagan, Vice President for Volvo, JLR, Toyota, Nissan at Adient. He will assume office from 1 January 2024, replacing Alison Jones, Senior Vice President Global Circular Economy at Stellantis, who steps down after completing her two-year tenure. Mick draws experience from a long career in the automotive … [Read more...]
Newslines 5 December
With temperatures dropping in the coming weeks, Subaru has launched a Winter Check programme to ensure its customers' vehicles are prepared for the unpredictable winter weather ahead. The comprehensive 38-point check, with an advertised cost to the customer of just £19.99, ensures that vehicles are safe and ready, covering every aspect of the safety and performance of the vehicle and provides the … [Read more...]
Newslines 4 December
Welsh Government is giving another £6.8M to bus companies in Wales to offset losses and operating costs since the Covid restrictions ended. Operators say falling passenger numbers and rising costs are wiping out profits and making routes unviable and the extra money has been branded as inadquate by Welsh Conservatives Climate Change Minister and Shadow Transport Minister, Natasha Asghar MS who … [Read more...]
Young drivers skipping safety costs, says the RAC
Inflation and the cost-of-living crisis are worryingly causing young drivers not to maintain their cars properly, risking their safety and that of other road users, says the RAC, and its particularly bad in Wales. A quarter of young drivers aged 17-24 (26%) say they have put off necessary repairs to their cars to save money while nearly three-in-10 (28%) are not servicing their vehicles as … [Read more...]
Rules for recharging
With winter gripping us, new EV users may be surprised to see their range running down and need to boost more frequently, but there are some polite rules of the recharge road to follow in the season of goodwill. Millions of Brits will benefit from easier public EV charging following the passing of new laws earlier this month. With the laws expected to provide clearer pricing, easier payments … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi TT Roadster 40 TFSI
The Audi TT has reached the end of the road and what a journey it’s been. I was lucky enough to attend the UK launch of the TT Coupe in Leeds in 1999 (see below), a year after it went into production and on sale in Germany and now, a quarter of a century on, production has ceased. In that time there have been only three generations of the car but it developed from Coupe to Roadster and even … [Read more...]
Silver anniversary marks end of the road
The Audi TT – one of the most evocative and transformative models ever to have borne the four rings – celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2023, the year in which production of the Coupé and Roadster models will also draw to a close. To mark this very significant occasion, Audi UK journeyed to the Isle of Man, whose legendary annual TT race lent the design icon its name, to reflect on its … [Read more...]
