Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: VW TEMPERATURE EMISSION LEVELS QUESTIONEDAt the European Court of Justice, the prosecutor’s expert witness has stated that Volkswagen has no justification in using an external temperature and altitude guided emissions device, in Austria. The average temperature and operating altitude is often outside the scope for running at lower NOx emissions. The judges have yet to give their verdict. To find out more, click the Autocar article here. FOLLOW UP: JLR SETTLES LUXURY SUV FIGHT WITH VW GROUPAt the end of November 2020, Jaguar Land Rover started legal proceedings against Volkswagen Group, over their use of Terrain Response in the group's luxury SUVs. JLR claimed the technology is patented by them and could not be used and sold by VW Group brands, in the US. The two sides have settled a week before this was due to go to court, although we do not know the details. A separate case, between JLR and Bentley is still due to go to court. For more information, click here for the CarsUK article. FOLLOW UP: WE

FOLLOW UP: MAN GUILTY OF SELLING SCANIA SECRETSBack in February, of this year, we talked about the Swedish man accused of selling secrets from Scania and Volvo to Russia. His trial is now complete and he is guilty of passing on information from Scania but not from Volvo. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here. OSPREY CHARGING INSTALLING 150 CHARGING HUBSOsprey Charging has announced that they will be installing 150 high-powered charging hubs across the UK, over the next four years. This will be around 1,500 rapid chargers after an investment in the region of £75 million. To find out more, click here for the YesAuto article. RENAULT ANNOUNCES JOB CUTS DUE TO EV MOVERenault has said they will cut around 2,000 jobs in their move to electrification. However, it claimed that it will be creating 2,500 roles, to help meet the needs from building nine new models in France. To learn more, click the Reuters article here. UK AUTO FLEET REDUCES CARBON EMISSIONSSMMT has revealed that the UK auto carbo

Alan spent a week with an outlier in the Lexus range, the electric UX300e. How well does Lexus’ first UK-sold EV fare in daily use and would you want to own one?

GOVERNMENT CHANGES HGV AND TOWING TESTSIn a bid to reduce the backlog of tests and increase the number of HGV drivers, the Government has decided to do away with some of the previously mandatory requirements to show someone was a safe and competent driver. There will only be one single HGV test, for both rigid body and articulated lorries. The hitching and reversing elements are no longer required either. To find out more, click the YesAuto link here. ONE THIRD OF ULEZ FINES UNPAIDTransport for London (TfL) has vowed to recoup the fines of over 330,000 that are unpaid. The ULEZ will expand, in London, to the North and South Circular roads. Some argue that the current system needs amending before any expansion. To read more, click here for the Autocar article. SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT HUB OPENED IN SUNDERLANDSunderland City Council has opened a sustainable Mobility Hub, for staff, giving them access to 10 Nissan Leafs, as part of their move to sustainable transport for the council. 20 e-bikes will be also part of

Alan had a chat to David Spickett of The Car Crowd to find out all about buying a share, or shares, in a classic car and what you can expect as a result.To find out more about The Car Crowd you can follow them on Instagram, on Facebook and on their website.

FOLLOW UP: PARIS SPEED CAMERAS RUNNING INTO PROBLEMSThe unpopular reduction of the speed limit in Paris has meant that some runners are being caught by the City’s speed cameras, exceeding the 30km/h limit. In a promotional and clever stunt the running shop DISTANCE has teamed up with professional athletes to get caught at night triggering the cameras. To read more, click The Connexion article here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR AUGUST 2021The August figures for New Car Registrations have been revealed by SMMT and they are predictably poor. Through a combination of supply and Covid issues, SMMT tells us are the reasons behind the worst August since 2013. To find out more, click here for the SMMT article. HYUNDAI LATEST TO ANNOUNCE ALL-ELECTRIC FLEET FROM 2035Hyundai is the latest manufacturer to announce when they will be electric only, in Europe. From 2035 they will only sell EV or hydrogen powered vehicles. They also aim to be carbon neutral from 2045. To find out more, click the YesAuto article here. In

UN SAYS LEADED PETROL IS NO MOREThe UN has announced that the last country to sell leaded petrol to the public has now stopped. Algeria was the last of 80 odd countries that used this petrol well into the 2000s. The announcement was made on the eve of E10 unleaded petrol being mandated in the UK. To read more, click the Hagerty article here. DS AND AUDI MAKE FURTHER ELECTRIC ANNOUNCEMENTSDS Automobiles is the latest manufacturer to announce their shift to fully electric models only, from 2024. To learn more about their move, click the Autocar article here. Audi have also announced an acceleration to e-mobility, with them saying they will have more than the previously mentioned 20 models as EVs, by 2025, as well as working closer with energy suppliers, as we saw with the recent news of more charging companies being accessible via their one pay service. WORLD’S LARGEST CHIP MAKER PUTS THE BOOT INTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is reportedly putting up the prices of automotive chips, at a time when th

SEMI-CONDUCTOR CRISIS - UPDATEWhilst this has been an ongoing issue for the car industry, we haven’t updated you on who is being hit hardest at the moment, but we address that in this episode. Of note is Toyota announcing a cut of 40% in global output, Volvo idling the Gothenburg plant again and JLR telling lease companies it is struggling with supplies. To read more about that and all affected, click the Autocar link here. VAUXHALL HERITAGE FLEET AT THE BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUMWhat remains of the the Vauxhall Heritage Fleet will now be kept at the British Motor Museum, allowing us all to see the significant and interesting cars from Vauxhall’s past. This is great news and congratulations to all who maintained the fleet, enabling many to enjoy these cars for years to come. To find our more, click here for the Autocar link. BLACKBERRY ADMITS TO SERIOUS BUGBlackberry has finally admitted to a serious flaw in their past versions of the QNX software, to be found in 175m cars, industrial systems and medical devices.

FOLLOW UP: WHAT MAKES A SALE A SALEWith thanks to the SMMT we can now confirm that a “sale” is when there is a change in owner, so if a person or company continue their lease beyond the original time frame, that will not be added to the figures reported. Which makes the reported numbers even more impressive than the chaps originally thought. CORNWALL SPARKS COMMERICAL EV DRIVEWatt Electric Vehicle Company has announced that it plans to build up to 5000 electric commercial vehicles a year, from 2023. They will be utilising a ‘skateboard’ platform to aid modularity and allow different sized vehicles to be built. The first prototype will be revealed in 2022. These will be built at a new facility in the Midlands. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. TESLA AUTOPILOT INVESTIGATED IN USThe US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has launched an investigation into 11 traffic incidents that involved stationary emergency service vehicles, whilst the driver of Tesla vehicles were util

JULY 2021 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESSMMT has released the July figures for new car registrations. In what is being reported as a combination of factors, thanks to Covid and chip shortages, the numbers are not good. They are the worst since the 1990s, in fact. To find out more, click the SMMT article here. To see Triston Young’s breakdown of numbers by fuel type, click his Twitter thread link here. HYUNDAI LAUNCHES ELECTRIFIED SUBSCRIPTION SERVICEHyundai has launched Mocean, a subscription service for their electrified models. The one monthly fee will cover insurance, the VED, maintenance, repairs and roadside assistance. Prices start from £339 per month, with Greater London being the first location covered. To find out more, click here for the Autocar article. BMW TO REWARD PHEV OWNERS FOR ELECTRIC ONLY DRIVINGIf you drive one of the selected BMW plug-in hybrid models, in one of the selected areas, only in electric mode, you will earn yourself points that once they reach a certain level can be redeemed at

Alan had the Toyota Yaris Design for a week. Listen in as he explains, to us all, about the differences between this and the last generation, his surprise and we have to find out if Andrew has to pull him up for the lack of balance and justification in his review.Note:For this episode only, the Alan Drinking Game(TM) is suspended due to concerns for the listeners health.

SECURITY VULNERABILITY FOUND IN SMART CHARGERSPenTestPartners has investigated smart EV chargers available to those buying for themselves as well as public chargers, finding many security vulnerabilities. For those interested, click here for PenTestPartners’s own report. However, one concern is the operating system used by some firms. Where Raspberry Pi is used there are more issues, because that is not a suitable OS for a connected device due to a lack of security layers inherent in the system. For more info click here for Ken Munro’s tweet, commending the quick reaction by one firm to the information. Click here for another tweet from Ken Munro expressing his dismay at another company’s reaction. Click here for Cybergibbon’s tweet explaining why Rasberry Pi is not suitable. FORMER FRENCH MINISTER UNDER INVESTIGATIONRachida Dati, a former French Minister, has been placed under formal investigation for payments made by the Dutch based Renault-Nissan joint-venture, during Carlos Ghosn’s time as CEO. Dati has p

Alan had the Hyundai i20 Premium for a week. Listen to us talk about the direction of the corporation, fuel filler caps and Alan’s wonderful circulation in a review that you will get no where else. Also, we do actually discuss the car, so you will find out if Alan rates it or not.

FOLLOW UP: MITSUBISHI AFTERSALES DEAL DONEA deal has now been finalised between The Colt Car Company and IM Group over the future of Mitsubishi aftersales business, resulting in the formation of a new company I.M. MAPS (UK) Ltd which will take the reigns. This is reassuring news for existing Mitsubishi owners. NISSAN OPENS 400 JOB POSITIONS IN SUNDERLANDNissan has announced there will be 400 positions, in the manufacturing team, opening up at Sunderland to help build the new Qashqai and Leaf. This will be a mix of agency and permanent employees. To read more, click here for the BBC News article. RIVERSIMPLE HITS FUNDING TARGETRiversimple, the hydrogen car manufacturer, has hit their target of £1.5 million they needed to roll out customer trialling of their cars. Angle investors have pitched in and HMRC has agreed they meet the criteria for tax breaks that is advantageous to investors. To read more, click the Business News Wales article here. PROBE INTO EV CHARGING The Competitions and Markets Authority, is th

FOLLOW UP: VW APPEALS DUTCH CLASS-ACTION RULINGVolkswagen has appealed a Dutch court ruling that gave compensation to owners of new and second-hand VW Group cars that were fitted with defeat device software. VW is adamant that the owners have suffered no financial loss in owning a car judged to have been fitted with the naughty software. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here. FOLLOW UP: GHOSN ESCAPE TEAM SENTENCED IN JAPANFather and son, Michael and Phillip Taylor, have been sentenced by a Japanese court to two years and one year eight months respectively. They had previously admitted their guilt and expressed their regret in their actions. To read more, click here for the BBC News article. MCLAREN RECEIVES CASH INJECTIONMcLaren has announced that it has received an injection of £550 million from current and new investors, which will be mainly used to push their electrification plans forward. To read more, click the Autocar article here. STELLANTIS ANNOUNCED AGENCY SHIFT TO DEALERSHIPSS

Both Alan and Andrew each had a Hyundai Tucson Ultimate Hybrid, for a week. Listen to them explain the multi-dimensional problem that is the spec and option choices, their thoughts on the changes to design both inside and out, as well as if their opinions aligned. Oh, as special congratulations to Hyundai on the deployment of the highest number of acronyms in a car spec, the Motoring Podcast have tried yet!

FOLLOW UP: EU FINES BMW AND VW BUT NOT DAIMLERFollowing the whistleblowing move from Daimler, informing the EU of a technology cartel dating back to the 90s, involving Daimler, BMW and VW Group, which we mentioned in Ep 248 My Turn With The Shovel, fines of $1 billion have been levelled at BMW and VW Group. Daimler does not pay anything due to them being the whistleblower. To read more, click this TechCrunch article here. STELLANTIS ANNOUNCE EV STRATEGYStellantis has announced the electric strategy for their brands, including Opel/Vauxhall, which will be electric only from 2028. To read more about what is planned and the amount of money being invested click the Autocar article here. Added to this, mission statements were assigned to each brand. Some appear to have been decided by committees, whilst others seem more successful. Click the Motor1 tweet showing them all, here. GERMAN CLASS-ACTION EMISSIONS CASE AGAINST MERCEDESMercedes-Benz have been filed a class-action case with regards to emission altering tec

Andrew, after years of wearing the people at Lexus down, was loaned a LC500h, to try for a week. Have listen to find out if it lived up to his hopes and what he thought of the car.

FOLLOW UP: SECOND UK-BASED VW EMISSIONS CLAIM LAUNCHEDThe legal firm, Leigh Day, has launched a second emissions claim against Volkswagen, this time connected with the fix. They are claiming that VW “covertly made fundamental changes to affected vehicles” by altering other engine types that were not part of the #dieselgate outcry. Volkswagen responded that they have not been informed of such action and believe such claims to be without merit. To read more, click the Autocar article here. FOLLOW UP: JLR TO FOCUS ON RELIABILITY ISSUESAfter last week’s show, where the chaps discussed what they saw as holding Jaguar Land Rover back, which wasn’t the designs, Thierry Bolloré announced that they would be solving the company’s reliability and build quality issues. To read more, whilst the chaps wait for their consulting fee to arrive from the firm, click the Autocar article here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR JUNE 2021The June registration figures are up on last year, as expected, but they are not at the levels o

FOLLOW UP: GREATER MANCHESTER CAZ STARTS IN MAY 2022The Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone has been confirmed as starting from May 2022. To find out more, including a reminder of the vehicle classes covered, click the Motoring Research article here. DVLA STRUGGLING TO DEAL WITH CUSTOMERSAn ever increasing volume in the complaints about the lack of service from the DVLA is occurring. Added to the pressures, staff are taking industrial action over unsafe working conditions. To read more about the problems customers are facing, click The Guardian article here. FRESH JAGUAR STRATEGY SIGNED OFFThierry Bolloré has signed of the new strategy for Jaguar, with the aim being to position it similar to Range Rover in the SUV market, but with cars. This is an ambitious plan, to get people to pay more than they do for their BMW, Audi or Mercedes, as well as be seen as above them but not quite at Porsche and Aston Martin levels. To read more, click here for the article from Autocar. POTHOLES COST COUNCILS £8 MILLION A YEARFo