Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: EU CONSIDERING RETROACTIVE TARIFFS ON CHINESE EVSThe investigation, by the European Union, into if China subsidises the homegrown EV makers has, within an interim report, stated there is enough evidence to show there is unfair assistance. On top of this, imports have increased 14% since the investigation began. The fear is, if the rate of increase continues it will cause harm to the European market before the official conclusions come to light. If you wish to learn more, click this link to a Reuters article here. FOLLOW UP: VOLTA TRUCKS PRODUCTION TO BEGINFollowing the purchase of the bankrupt company, by Luxor Capital, news is released that they will restart production, in Austria, from May. The aim is for 500 vehicles to be made in 2024 and 2,000 in 2025. There are still questions about the batteries for the trucks after the previous supplier went into receivership and was bought by Volvo. Click here to read more, from electrive. CHANCELLOR ACCUSED OF IGNORING THE CAR INDUSTRYA large portion of t

FOLLOW UP: AGENCY MODEL CLARIFICATION Thank you to all who responded to Andrew’s request for more information on how the agency model works for car retails. We can now confirm, the query about who carries the financial liability, does in fact lie with the manufacturers now. To see who is moving to this model, click this link to an Auto Retail Network article. FEBRUARY 2024 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESSMMT has released the new car registration figures for February 2024 and they are the best in 20 years! Which caused us to raise an eyebrow or two. Battery electric cars are up, slightly, but still a long way off the 22% required by the Government mandate. Diesel is down slightly, with plug in hybrids also up a touch, but petrol is up again. Fleet is doing all the lifting and this is worrying the industry who renews their calls for help to incentivise the Private side of things. To read more, click this link to the SMMT article and details. POLESTAR SECURES NEW FUNDINGPolestar are plugging the gap left by Volvo

FOLLOW UP: VOLVO TO SELL SHARES IN POLESTARWe begin to get the answer of what difference Volvo cutting funding will mean to their Polestar relationship, as they look to offload a large portion of the shares they hold. The plan is to drop from 48% of shares down to 18%. For more information, click this electrive article link here. STELLANTIS TO CONVERT LUTON PLANT FOR EV VANSStellantis has confirmed that they will convert the Luton plant to enable it to build the Group’s electric vans. ICE versions will continue to be built along side the EVs, which will be produced from early 2025. If you would like to read more, click this Autocar link here. STELLANTIS UK MAKE MANY MANAGEMENT CHANGESStellantis UK managing director, Maria Grazia Davino, has moved quickly to make changes within the organisation and tying up with the larger group. This is all part of the efforts to improve relations with their dealer network and improve the outlook for the many brands. More details can be read by clicking this AMOnline link

FOLLOW UP: CRUISE APPOINTS FIRST EVER SAFETY OFFICERIn a move that should have more people stunned, Cruise has announced their first every safety officer. Steve Kenner has worked at a number of places in the autonomous vehicle industry. Louise Zhang, who is a VP of safety and systems will remain in her role. Astonishingly. If you wish to learn more, click this TechCrunch link here. FOLLOW UP: FRENCH SUBSIDY FOR LOW INCOME HOMES HALTEDThe recently launched subsidy to help low income families into EV has already been halted, due to an overwhelming demand, according to French Government officials. They will be relaunching it in 2025. To read further, click this link to The Guardian article. GOVERNMENT U-TURN ON TAX OF DOUBLE-CABSIn a crazy few days, the UK Government went from declaring that double-cab pickup’s tax category was going to change to that of a car, but still be classed as a light commercial vehicle (LCV) from 1 July 2024, to u-turning and saying no they wouldn’t. This came around due to a court ca

FOLLOW UP: ARRIVAL GOES INTO ADMINISTRATIONThe inevitable has happened at Arrival and the company has brought in receivers to try and sell on the company assets. Last year they announced they were focusing only on their large van, but this has not been produced. Claims of macroeconomic conditions have been laughed at, following the revelations of management and how the business was run. If you wish to learn more, click this article here, from The Guardian. ASA BANS ADS OVER ZERO EMISSION AND ULEZ CLAIMSThe Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has rapped BMW, MG and Transport for London (TfL) over advertising claims. BMW have been censured due to claiming its electric vehicles are zero emission, which the ASA said they were not due to electricity production and manufacturing not being such. MG were censured over including their hybrid models in an advert for zero emission vehicles. TfL fell foul over claims made about misleading adverts regarding the ULEZ and modelled data rather than actual data. To learn more

FOLLOW UP: PARIS VOTES TO CHARGE EXTRA FOR HEAVY CARSJust under six percent of eligible Parisians voted on charging extra for non resident parking permitted heavier vehicles, with 54.6% voting for this. Therefore, internal combustion engined cars (ICE) weighing over 1.6 tonnes and electric vehicles weighing over 2 tonnes, will be charged extra. Click here to read a misleadingly headlined article from The Guardian that is an example of some of the pathetic reporting on this matter. FOLLOW UP: LITHIA TAKEOVER PENDRAGONLithia, the US based firm, has finally taken over the motor retail group, Pendragon. This makes Lithia the second biggest retailer in the UK, ahead of Arnold Clark but behind Sytner. You can read more by clicking this AMOnline article link here. JANUARY 2024 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESSMMT has released the January 2024 new car registration figures. They are up on 2023, but still down on the Before Times. Fleet is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, with Private down once again. Worryingly, in the

FOLLOW UP: CRUISE’S ACCIDENT FAILURES ARE WORSE THAN GUESSEDThe ‘independent’ review by a legal firm employed by both GM and Cruise has produced their first report into the incident where a pedestrian who was knocked into the path of a driverless taxi was hit and dragged by the car. They try to claim that no one really meant to deceive the regulators and it was the internet that prevented them from showing the full video. They admitted that no one then attempted to explain verbally or via email. You can learn more from this Jalopnik article link here. You can find more context and details in a Twitter thread from John Berry, linked here. And here is another thread from John, click here. For an even more damning review of the report, click here to read what Bryant Walker Smith has to say. FOLLOW UP: MOT CHANGES ARE SHELVEDThankfully, common sense has prevailed and the UK Government are not going to change MOTs to occur every two years. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. FOLLOW U

FOLLOW UP: VW AND GERMAN GOV LOSE ENGINE FIX FIGHTA German environmental group has won its court case against the Volkswagen Group and the German Government for allowing the use of thermal windows in engine emissions, for the last eight years. Whilst the regulator allowed it the court ruled they should not have. You can learn more by clicking this electrive article link here. FOLLOW UP: CMA WINS APPEAL AGAINST BMW AND VWThe Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) has won its appeal relating to forcing BMW and the Volkswagen Group hand over information to enable their investigation into possible anti-competative practices for recycling vehicles. The argument from BMW and VW is that they are based outside of the UK therefore the CMA has no authority. The Court of Appeal ruled they do. For more on this story, click this Reuters article link here. FOLLOW UP: FEEDBACK ON THE CHAT GPT EXPLAINERThank you to everyone who got in touch, following the release of last week’s show and the separate video which explained

FOLLOW UP: CAR MAKERS LOBBIED AGAINST INCENTIVES FOR SMALL EVSIn the consultation over the introduction of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which came into force on 1 January 2024, documents have revealed that some manufacturers fought against rules that encouraged more efficient, smaller and lighter vehicles. Not a great look for the car industry. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar link here. FOLLOW UP: WALES 20MPH REVIEW TO BE LED BY ORIGINAL ADVISORIn what feels like an entry into Private Eye's Rotten Boroughs segment, the Welsh Government has announced the consultant who helped introduce the new 20mph urban speed limit will lead the review of said implementation. They justified this by stating that "he is well-placed to assess whether clarifications in the policy are needed to encourage greater consistency.". To read more, click this link from the BBC News. RED SEA SHIPPING ISSUES HITTING CAR MAKERSTesla and Volvo are pausing car production due to delays in parts after shipping has been

FOLLOW UP: RIFTER NOT BERLINGO, BAD ANDREWDuring the Year of unintended consequences - 19 December 2023 episode, Andrew stated that Alex Grant has an e-Berlingo, which is incorrect. Alex has the more stylish e-Rifter, which shares a lot of the platform but is not the same. Apologies Alex, Andrew has been suitably chastised for his error. FOLLOW UP: WELSH 20MPH LIMIT TO NOW BE ENFORCEDThe Welsh Government has stated that the newly introduced default 20mph speed limit, for built up areas, will be enforced from this month onwards. Depressingly, the article we link to, on the BBC News site which you can read by clicking here, has several quotes making it explicit that in Wales at least, compliance equals safety. Speed cameras will be installed in areas where it is deemed that too many are breaking the limit, rather than where there are accident blackspot as has been the norm. DECEMBER AND FULL YEAR NEW CAR REGISTRATIONSOnce again we note so many have trouble with the difference between new car registrations and s

In this episode, Alan talks all about his 2019 Lexus GX460 Premium. Since this was recorded, the replacement GX550 has been announced, and Alan has taken it on a 5,000-mile road trip to Wyoming and back. The 4.6 litre V8 has become more efficient over time; it’s underlined its ability to remain very comfortable for long periods of time, and, sadly, it still looks like Predator chewing a wasp.

Follow Up: RULES OF ORIGIN DELAY AGREEDLeaving it until almost the last moment, the EU and UK have agreed to delay implementing the rules of origin legislation, which would’ve hit car makers in both Europe and Blighty. This was expected to happen and there was an almost audible sigh of relief from the car industry. You can find out more on this, by clicking the link here from Autocar. MCLAREN SHARE RESTRUCTURE DEALThe Bahrain sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat, has effectively become the sole owner of the McLaren Group after the complicated share structure was reorganised. This has prompted many to believe (or hope) that means future model development and the move to EVs can occur with some confidence. If you wish to read more on this, click here for Sky New’s version of the story. VW DETAILS COST CUTS AS IT AIMS FOR $11B GAINSFollowing extensive discussions with the works council, Volkswagen has announced its plans for saving that will net gains of $11 billion by 2026. Steps include speeding up development, a

Follow Up: CRUISE FIRE NINE EXECS IN ACCIDENT AFTERMATHFollowing the internal investigation by GM, into the incident where a pedestrian was dragged by a Cruise driverless vehicle, nine executives from the company have been sacked. Departments affected include Legal, Government Affairs, Commercial Operations and Safety and Systems. On top of that General Motors has stated that it is cutting 900 staff from the offshoot. Click here to read more, from The Register. Follow-Up: FRANCE EV SUBSIDY ELIGIBILITY LIST PUBLISHEDFrance has published a list of electric vehicles that will be eligible for governmental subsidy, following the inclusion of production environmental calculations. Surprising no one, but Chinese made vehicles will not get financial help. This will come into force from 1 January 2024. You can read more, by clicking this link here to an electrive article. FOLLOW UP: CLEVEDON WIGGLY LINES ROAD CHANGES AGAINAn independent investigation into the controversial changes to Clevedon’s sea front has recommend

Follow Up - EU and UK Agree to 3-Year Rules of Origin DelayUK and EU politicians have agreed to delay the introduction of EV Rules of Origin by three years—more details in this Autocar story.Follow-Up - Tesla Vs. Nordic Unions - Unions AheadTesla continues to rebuff cooperation with Nordic unions, making life hard for Tesla. The Guardian covers this in more detail in the story linked here.New Car Registration Figures for NovemberUK new car registrations were slightly up in November, but the percentage of EVs is down slightly. Lots more and all of the numbers on the SMMT website.UK Motorists Continue To Be Overcharged For FuelAccording to the RAC, the gap between wholesale and retail road fuel prices has narrowed but is still too broad. More here from Autocar.Euro NCAP States The ObviousEuro NCAP has declared that bigger, heavier SUVs present “safety concerns” to other drivers and pedestrians. Autocar explains more in this article.Sixt Migrates to BYD EVs While Hertz Steps Back From EVSRental company Sixt is s

Follow Up - Volta Trucks Saved by Venture Existing BackersUK-based Volta Trucks has been saved by a venture capital fund that had previously invested them. There’s more about this in the Autocar story linked here.Follow-Up - Welsh Speed Limit Changes Cause ConsternationSome roads in Wales are now subject to many more changes of speed limit than before. This BBC story highlights one extreme example.VW to Cut Jobs In Bid To Increase CompetitivenessThe Volkswagen CEO has claimed that it is “no longer competitive” and will be taking advantage of the “demographic curve” to reduce staff numbers ahead of the previously-announced 2029 date for dismissals. More from Autocar here.£20bm Investment Boost for UK Auto Manufacturing in 2023The SMMT has announced the latest figures for investment in UK manufacturing as well as the government’s Advanced Manufacturing Strategy. There’s more about this on the SMMT website, linked here.Call for “Euro-Kai Car” for small, urban EVsIn an effort to save the small car, European lobby

NISSAN TO INVEST FURTHER IN SUNDERLAND PLANTNissan is investing a further £2 billion in their Sunderland facilities, with the confirmation that the next generation Qashqai and Juke, both to be electric only, will be built alongside the Leaf. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar link here. HYUNDAI BRINGS GENESIS OPERATION IN HOUSEHyundai UK is brining the administrative operations of the Genesis brand, in-house from early 2024. On top of this, there will be a move away from an online only presence with some showrooms being utilised. More can be read on this by clicking through on this Autocar link here. JLR UPGRADES SECURITY ON OLDER MODELSOlder models from the Range Rover brand are being retrofitted with improved security, after a flaw has been exploited by thieves for several years. JLR has spent £10 million in fixing the issue and updating customer cars. Click here to find out more, from Autocar. TOYOTA HILUX ADVERT BANNEDA Toyota Hilux advert that showed off the capabilities of the four-wheel d

FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT OWNER SERVED NOTICE ON UNPAID WAGESAn ex employee has served a legal notice on Recharge Industries, the “owner” of the failed battery manufacturer Britishvolt, for unpaid wages. If the money is not forthcoming, the firm could be pursued further with bankruptcy proceedings being an option. Click this link to read more from The Guardian. FOLLOW UP: CRUISE HALTS ALL OPERATIONS AND CEO RESIGNSCruise has now halted all ride-hailing operations, even those with human safety drivers. On top of that Kyle Vogt has resigned as CEO of the company. Also departing is fellow co-founder Daniel Kan. You can see more by clicking this link to an article from The Register, which shows a timeline of recent events including the astonishing creation of a chief safety officer ten years after the company was formed. TESLA HITTING A UNION WALL IN SWEDENTesla is refusing to allow a Swedish union to use a ‘collective bargaining agreement’, with the members of the IF Metall union in their repair centres. They have

FOLLOW UP: RENAULT FINALLY CREATES AMPERERenault has finally announced the creation of Ampere, the new division responsible for developing their EVs, circular economy and software for the Group. At the time of recording there was no mention of the IPO that was discussed when first announcing the entity. Click this electrive article to read more. FOLLOW UP: RIVIAN ENDS EXCLUSIVITY DEAL WITH AMAZONRivian and Amazon have announced that the exclusive deal to supply the retail giant with electric vans is no more. Amazon were pulling down far fewer vehicles than expected, therefore Rivian needs to open its books up to more companies to ensure the business is viable. To read more, click this link here to an electrive article. AUTOMATED VEHICLE BILL ANNOUNCED IN KING’S SPEECHDuring the opening of Parliament, King Charles III’s speech announced the plan to introduce the automated vehicle bill. This has taken several years and multiple public consultations. Key elements will be who is held responsible and in which situ

FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT STAFF NOT PAID FOR MONTHSRecharge Industries, the company that has bought Britishvolt, although not finalised payment yet, has not paid UK staff for the last four months. Once again, the poor staff let down by management. If you would like to read more, including how much belief employees have in the assurances given, click this BBC News article link here. FOLLOW UP: JLR PARTS ISSUE TO LAST INTO 2024 JLR have confirmed that they are improving the repair parts backlog, they’re experiencing. With the steps being made, they anticipate getting back on track in 2024. The issue has been acknowledged by CEO Adrian Mardell. To read more, click this Jalopnik article link here. FOLLOW UP: TESLA NOT FOUND LIABLE FOR MODEL 3 CRASHA jury has decided that Tesla and their Autopilot software are not responsible for the accident that led to the driver’s death and passenger injuries, back in 2019. The claim was the software was faulty, there are arguments that how lawyers are pursing such cases is flawe

FOLLOW UP: CRUISE PAUSES DRIVERLESS TAXI SERVICEBoth Califoria’s Department for Motor Vehicles and Public Utilities Commission have revoked Cruise’s license to carry fee paying passengers in their robotaxis. Cruise, following this, has “paused” the operation of their fleet. This all stems from an incident on 2 October 2023, where a car driven by a human hit a pedestrian and they were knocked into the pathway of one of Cruise’s cars which could not stop in time and trapped the pedestrian underneath the vehicle. The DMV claims Cruise shared partial video that showed up to the point of the vehicle stopping. However, the DMV now states there was more as they were not shown that the Cruise vehicle tried to move to the side of the road with the lady still trapped beneath the car. The DMV stated that “the manufacturers vehicles are not safe for public operation”. To read more click this Vice article link here. For the next stage of the story, click this Tech Crunch article link here. To read the DMV’s own documentat