SsangYong Motors UK will support the world’s premier three-day equestrian event, Badminton Horse Trials, from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 10 May, 2020, after Mitsubishi withdrew their 28 years backing for the event.
Its vehicle provision at Badminton Horse Trials will commence this year, illustrating the perfect synergy between SsangYong Motors and the Trials, which is the most prestigious 5-star equestrian event in the world, one of only six such top-level global events and a highlight in the equestrian calendar.
More than a third of UK drivers 35% – the equivalent of 14.7m drivers – say they are more dependent on using their car than 12 months ago, with public transport too often seen as an expensive and unreliable alternative, data released as part of the latest RAC Report on Motoring.
The figures show a further rise in the proportion of drivers who say they rely on their cars as their main mode of transport – increased dependency is up from 33% in 2018, and from 27% a year earlier, and is now at its highest proportion in the past seven years.
Opel will continue its international sales push by re-entering the Japanese market with three models exported from Europe: the Corsa small hatchback, Grandland X compact SUV and Combo Life car-derived van.
The Corsa, Opel’s best-selling car in 2019 with 229,911 worldwide sales, will be available in a full-electric version, and the Grandland X as a plug-in hybrid. Opel said that the Corsa could be given a different model name in Japan.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has warned Renault against shutting factories in France and cutting jobs there after the automaker announced “no taboos” cost cuts last week.
Renault reported on Friday its first annual loss in a decade which triggered a commitment to cut costs by 2 billion euros over the next three years, in a plan that could also hit plants in France, said its interim chief, Clotilde Delbos, but Le Maire added, “The state will play its role as shareholder in Renault to make sure that the choices which will be made will not go against jobs and factories in France.”
Volvo Cars wants governments and regulators around the world to address a large inequality in road safety between developed and developing economies.
Despite progress made in recent decades, official data shows a significant gap in the number of traffic fatalities between both categories of countries and each year an estimated 1.35 million people lose their lives in traffic accidents.
French authorities have stepped up their investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds at Renault by former boss Carlos Ghosn, saying a judge had now been assigned to the case to launch a formal investigation.
Since last year investigators have been looking into a party Ghosn had thrown for his wife at the sumptuous Versailles palace among other financial dealings and now a judge will examine several charges linked to Renault and levelled at people including Mr Ghosn.