Tough labour laws in France mean that Ineos stands to pick up an idling Daimler plant in Hamach in a distressed sale for €500 Million to build its forthcoming Grenadier 4×4 after suspending plans for a new factory outside Bridgend.
If the sale falls through, Ineos may return to South Wales but there is another option on a struggling Nissan site in Spain as well.
The Proton brand could resurface with Volvo technology underneath.
Both are supported by Geely and the Chinese giant wants to use input from the traditionally Swedish lines to develop the Malaysian motor manufacturer with a global car, according to Reuters.
Hyundai will develop their Ioniq name as a dedicated ev brand for global sales.
It wants to push the name with a series of models as it takes on the industry giants of Volkswagen Group and General Motors over the next five years.
Vehicle sales in China are strengthening.
As the coronavirus eases off, car dealers reported a 16% gain, the fourth consecutive month of improvement, to 2.11 Million sales, about the same as the UK’s entire annual sales in a good year.
As the UK faces Brexit by 2021, it has not agreed a deal with Japanese car imports as expected.
London talks have been held and the Japanese hoped for an end to duties on its cars shipped to the UK before 2026, but Britain has held out to protect models made here as the talks also involved tariffs on agricultural machinery exported from Britain.
Half of motorists extended their MoT during lockdown.
But just over a quarter have now rebooked since they became mandatory from 1 August meaning thousands have no valid certificate.
The Suzuki Ignis compact crossover model has been facelifted and given a new 1.2 litre four-cylinder engine after three years on sale.
It now costs from under £14,000 with front wheel drive and manual gearbox and without deposit or annual interest under a PCP scheme before the end of September.
