Media reports say Toyota will relocate part of its GR Corolla sports car production to Britain, with plans to invest approximately £41m in a dedicated production line in its Burnaston, Derby plant, but its not yet been oonfirmed by the Japanese car maker. This strategic shift aims to utilise excess capacity in Britain to reduce delivery wait times for the … [Read more...]
Newslines 28 October
Toyota Manufacturing is celebrating the five millionth car to be built at its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire since it opened in 1981. The milestone model is a Corolla GR Sport Hatchback hybrid, finished in blazing Scarlet Flare paintwork, and parked nose-to-tail, the UK-built Toyotas would form a line almost 14,000 miles long – more than half way around the … [Read more...]
Lords seeking clarity out of confusion
In response to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s net zero statement on Wednesday, Baroness Parminter, Chair of the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, has written to Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for the Department of Transport. In the letter, Baroness Parminter, on behalf of the cross-party committee looking into the ev sector, … [Read more...]
Ark Zero electric quadracycle launched under £6K
Two adults and a dog maybe an unusual way to pitch a new car sale, but that’s the practicality of the new Ark Zero quadracycle city car from £5,995. It costs less than a pound to charge the lithium-ion battery for its 50.3 miles claimed range at up to 28mph. The aluminium two-door body and chassis has a slim design, a centrally positioned driving seat … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Suzuki Swace SZ5 1.8 auto
Collaboration to cut costs but not quality is very evident in the Suzuki Swace. There’s a lot more component sharing going on throughout the global motor industry than many realise but it’s not been a feature of UK in recent years, with just a few exceptions. We had extensive badge engineering across Midlands’ factories between the 1950s and 1980s but … [Read more...]
Great British cars’ classics experience centre
A new classic car visitor attraction will open in Derbyshire later this year. The Great British Car Journey follows the signing of a lease on the former Wire Works site in Ambergate, Derbyshire just off the A6 in between Derby and Matlock, is currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment ahead of Great British Car Journey opening later this summer, when … [Read more...]
Driving choices are changing
More than 15 million Brits are planning to take measures to be more environmentally conscious in the year ahead with a shift in driving habits expected as the most popular move, according to an analysis by AA Cars. Around half of Brits are expected to take steps to be more eco-friendly in 2019, with many making changes to how they own and run cars; one in … [Read more...]
Newslines 29 October
The eagerly awaited Volvo V60 Cross Country will be in showrooms early next year from £38,270. The all-wheel-drive model has specific 18-inch alloys, extra bodywork protection, hill descent control and an off-road mode for severe terrain but its also one of the last to get the 190bhp 2.0 D4 diesel engine and eight speed gearbox. The Vauxhall Corsa … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Toyota Auris GB25 Hybrid
To celebrate their 25th anniversary TMUK has produced the special edition Auris Hybrid GB25 five door hatchback priced at £24,045. Prices for the 39 British built Auris hatchback and estate model derivatives start at £16,655 and rise to £26,905. The engine range consists of 1.33-litre 99hp petrol, a turbo 1.2 116hp petrol, the 1.4 D4-D … [Read more...]
Bentley rethink on site for next model
Bentley will consider whether to build its next model in the UK or Europe depending on how Brexit talks go within the next 12 months, CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer has told Reuters. It’s sells 20% of them in Europe, its largest market, and has previously assembled some in Dresden, Germany when it needed to boost capacity. Uncertainty over the Brexit outcome … [Read more...]
