With the Olympics starting in Paris today, UK visitors to France are set for record levels - but motorists are being warned they are 20 times more likely to be breathalysed than in the UK. French police randomly test over 100 drivers per 1000 population, compared to just 5 per 1000 in Britain and the drink drive limit is 50mg, lower than the 80mg in England … [Read more...]
Newslines 8 July
BYD Auto plans to build a US$1bn electric vehicle assembly plant in Turkey to target the domestic and European markets and circumvent EU proposed tariffs which would have pushed up prices by nearly half. The Chinese car maker has already announced a factory it will build in Hungary as it pushes expansion outside its home country and both investments will … [Read more...]
British breakthrough in EV battery design
Nyobolt is taking its high-power density, fast-charging battery technology from the lab into the real world by revealing the first running Nyobolt EV prototype. Designed and engineered with CALLUM, the Nyobolt EV will be used to both validate the company’s battery performance in a high-performance environment, as well as allow car makers to witness an … [Read more...]
Newslines 18 June
Wales’ largest dealer groups, Days, saw its turnover rise but pre-tax profit fall last year. Companies House accounts for the year ended December 31, 2023, show the new and used cars business with 18,000 strong rental fleet, and one of the Car Dealer Top 100, reported an 11% increase in turnover from £257.774m to £285.195m but its profit before tax sank … [Read more...]
Chinese brands sweeping into dealerships
Xpeng is the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer most likely to succeed in the UK market, named by 36% of dealers in new research. It is followed by Omoda (34%), BYD (31%), Lynk & Co (24%) and Nio (24%), according to June’s Startline Used Car Tracker. Other new entrants named by dealers include Jaecoo (19%), GWM ORA (17%), Zeekr (12%) and … [Read more...]
Newslines 7 June
INEOS Automotive has introduced a unique service called Arcane Works that creates limited editions of its award-winning Grenadier station wagon and then allows customers to further personalise the small-batch, hand-finished 4X4s with customised detailing and bespoke materials. Retaining the Grenadier’s best-in-class off-road capability with modern … [Read more...]
Plate change boosted by fleet registrations
The 24-plate change boosted new-car registrations in March, according to SMMT figures. But private buyers have put the brakes on pure electric purchases and the car makers want Government incentives to be increased to meet emissions targets.. March signals a twentieth month of consecutive growth for the automotive sector, a remarkable milestone for the … [Read more...]
Big shift expected in 2024 UK car market
The analysis of the average UK monthly search volume for the past six months reveals the Nissan Qashqai as the undisputed champion, attracting a remarkable 815,000 searches in the six months August 2023-Jan 2024. Interestingly, the second-place position goes to the KIA Sportage, likely accumulating 765,000 searches over the last six months due to its new … [Read more...]
Newslines 16 January
Toyota and Lexus anticipate building over 3 million vehicles and Japan and more than 7 million in offshore plants in 2024. The rise has been forecast as component supplies ease and hybrid sales are rising. Hyundai Motor UK has appointed smart home charging business Ohme as its official home charging partner. Ohme's dynamic smart chargers can connect … [Read more...]
Newslines 2 January
China's biggest electric car maker in the world, BYD, announced the next stage of its European strategy with the construction of a massive manufacturing and production centre in Szeged, Hungary. The state-of-the-art facility will be the first of its kind built by a Chinese automotive company in Europe and will have a highly advanced car production line as … [Read more...]
