Jaguar will unveil its new all electric model based on the F-Pace at the LA motor show today. Insiders say it is smaller than the SUV with a more rakish roofline similar to the Evoque Coupe and will get AWD transmission and might be related to the next Land Rover Defender platform. A new smaller MG SUV to undercut the GS model will be revealed in China … [Read more...]
VW & Audi braced for costs and profits dip
Volkswagen Group says third-quarter operating profit at its core VW brand plunged more than half, adding weight to management calls for cutbacks at the the automaker's biggest division. Operating profit at the VW brand dropped to 363 million euros ($396 million) from 801 million a year earlier, and subsidiary Audi is cutting its earning forecast due to … [Read more...]
Newslines 31 October
Automatic speeding fines issued on the A55 through the Conwy tunnel will be cancelled. Speed camera bosses have apologised to scores of drivers after a blunder meant prosecutions were issued by mistake when the devices were not recalibrated to 70mph after the recent roadworks finished earlier than expected and the 40mph temporary limit was lifted. Tens … [Read more...]
Is a fourth win a bridge too far for Frenchman?
The legendary Welsh forests will see a 148-car entry for Wales Rally GB starting tomorrow and finishing on Sunday. This season’s eagerly-anticipated event promises to be even more spectacular, with a move to a new date at the end of October promising drier and faster action after this afternoon's ceremonial start in Colwyn Bay. Reflecting the … [Read more...]
VW UK facing Government action over diesel-gate
The British government has launched an attack on the VW Group for the diesel-gate emissions scandal and revealed its considering prosecution of UK officials. The Transport Committee’s special report on VW’s initial cheating and its subsequent efforts to fix any wrongdoing was scathing and the Government will push the car maker to pay compensation to … [Read more...]
Tradelines 5 October
The cost of unleaded petrol and diesel crept up again in September, as a result of rising world oil prices putting upward pressure on the wholesale cost of both fuels, says RAC Fuel Watch. The average cost of a litre of petrol ended the month at 112.07p, and diesel averaged 113.34p per litre, the highest average price since August 2015, and up 0.42p while … [Read more...]
VW called to cull big salaries and extravagance
Volkswagen should reduce the "huge sums of money" paid to executives and any bonuses should be given in shares, activist investor TCI Fund Management. In May the investment company demanded an end to boardroom "extravagance" after VW paid its top 12 managers a total of 63 million euros or £54.07 for 2015, even though the company plunged to a record loss … [Read more...]
Newslines 19 September
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling 1.9 million vehicles worldwide for an airbag defect that is linked to three deaths and five injuries. The recall is to resolve a defect that may prevent deployment of airbags and seat-belt pretensioners in some crashes and covers models sold between 2010 and 2014, including the Chrysler Sebring, 200, Dodge Caliber, … [Read more...]
Tradelines 14 September
Motorists hoping to bag a bargain following the Volkswagen Group emissions scandal will be disappointed, because residual values of models from VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat have barely moved, according to research. One year ago on 16 September 2015, when the VW emissions scandal broke, canny drivers might have hoped that sales of VW Group cars would drop and … [Read more...]
EC toughens stance against Volkswagen
The European Commission is tightening screws on Volkswagen this week. The European Commission has found that Volkswagen Group broke consumer laws in 20 European Union countries by cheating on emissions tests, German daily Die Welt reported, citing Commission sources. Among them are the Consumer Sales and Guarantees Directive -- which prohibits … [Read more...]
