Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: CLAIMS WELSH 20MPH WILL CAUSE EMERGENCY SERVICES ISSUES DISPUTEDA Conservative Freedom of Information request has led to accusations that the mandatory 20mph speed limit for urban areas in Wales will impede emergency services ability to fulfil their roles. This is disputed by both the Labour Government and the emergency services. You can read more, by clicking this BBC News link here. FOLLOW UP: CRUISE CUTS TESTING FLEET BY 50%Following a collision with a fire engine, Cruise has agreed to a request that it cut it’s testing fleet by 50% in San Fransisco whilst an investigation takes place. The incident led to a passengers being taken to hospital but then released later. To find out more, click this link to and article from The Guardian. This last seven days have not been great for Cruise, click this Twitter thread to read just some of the issues their cars have had. To read why reducing numbers for testing will have a big impact on Cruise, click this Jack Stilgoe Twitter thread. FOLLOW UP: TESLA IS

FOLLOW UP: britishvolt saga takes another twistThe buyer for the bankrupt Britishvolt company, Recharge Industries, has failed to make the final payment and is in breach of contract, according to the administrator. Recently we covered the news that the Australian head office was raided by tax officials and police. Click this Autocar Business article to find out more. FOLLOW UP: TESLA RANGE CALCULATIONS EXPLAINEDFollowing the report that Tesla was deliberately misleading owners on the range of their vehicles, Car & Driver investigated how range was calculated in Teslas and compared that to other vehicles. Tesla appear to use a very simple formula which works in a very linear manner and does not adapt to conditions or driving styles. You can find out more, by clicking this link here. FOLLOW UP: LISTENER FEEDBACK Thank you, to Tony Wood, for writing in to us to tell us about the free Android app, called “Petrol Prices” which is available in the Google PlayStore, which uses crowdsourced information to tell yo

FOLLOW UP: ULEZ SCRAPPAGE SCHEME EXPANDEDThe Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced that the scrappage scheme for the London ULEZ expansion has been altered to now cover all residents of London, unlike previously where only a small number of eligible groups were allowed to apply. Click this BBC News article link to read more. FOLLOW UP: UBER AV FATALITY LEGAL CASE ENDSThe legal case brought against the test operator, Rafaela Vasquez, who was working for Uber in their autonomous vehicle program who was monitoring the system when it hit and killed Elaine Herzberg five years ago, has ended after she pleaded guilty to endangerment. This has resulted in three years probation but avoids any jail time. Of note is that no charges have ever been brought against Uber or anyone else from the company. Rafaela disputes claims she was watching The Voice on her phone, instead stating she was checking the in-company channel on the app Slack, as the Uber had instructed all operatives to do. Click this article link from WI

FOLLOW UP: ULEZ EXPANSION GIVEN GO AHEAD The High Court has ruled that the expansion to the ULEZ, as announced by the Mayor of London, is legal and allowed to take place. Five councils had brought the action against the increase in the area covered by the rules on vehicle emissions. You can find out more by clicking this BBC News article link here. ASTON MARTIN GETS NEW BOARD MEMBERFollowing their increased stake in Aston Martin, Geely are now entitled to a seat on the board of the sports car company. Daniel Li, the Geely CEO, has been appointed. Geely are the third largest shareholders, with 17% stake. Click this Automotive News Europe article link, to find out more. CLAIMS OVER TESLA RANGE MANIPULATION An article surfaced from Reuters claiming that Tesla has a secrete team who squash any complaints on the range of their cars, from customers. The claims centre around range exaggeration by the company creating an expectation in customer’s minds and them having to deal with the differences owners found. You

TATA BATTERY FACTORY TO BE BUILT IN THE UK Tata, Jaguar Land Rover owners, have finally confirmed thanks to Government help their battery factory will be built in the UK and not Spain. Production is planned to start from 2026, with the aim being to produce 40GWh of batteries when fully operational. These will be sold to the mobility and energy industries. Click this Autocar article link for more. JLR CONFIRM ADRIAN MARDELL AS PERMANENT CEOAdrian Mardell stepped in to fill the void following the departure of Thierry Bolloré several months ago. This was only a temporary appointment, however, Tata has announced that he will take over the role on a permanent basis. You can find out more by clicking this Autocar Business link here. SUPERMARKET FUEL PROFITS MORE THAN DOUBLE The RAC continues to hound the supermarkets over their fuel pricing. They have established that since the start of the Ukrainian war, supermarket’s profit per litre of fuel has doubled as they have not passed savings onto us consumers. More ca

Public Charge Point Regulations announced The Government has announced that it will bring in laws that require a 99% reliability to the charging network, for rapid chargers, as well as live status updates. Furthermore, new chargers over 8kW must have contactless pay reader fitted. Failure to meet the new regulations could result in a £10,000 fine for each unit that does not satisfy the requirements. Click here to read more, from Autocar. RENAULT-GEELY PARTNERSHIP HQ IN UKWe first discussed the Renault-Geely joint venture back in November 2022, but now they have announced their headquarters will be in the UK. All production will occur outside the UK. They are still in talks with Aramco to join. Much misinformation has occurred over this story, click this Twitter thread from Edwin Hayward that unpicks the lies. If you would like to read more about the actual story, click here for the link from BBC News. RENAULT CUTS DEALERSHIP NUMBERS Renault announced that they are cutting their dealership numbers, by approx

FOLLOW UP: NO CHANGE TO EU TARIFF RULES Following weeks of statements that the UK and EU were discussing the changes to the expected import/export tariffs, it appears that there will be no change to the tariffs for ‘rules of origin’ starting in 2024. The European Commission has rejected a call to postpone until 2027. Click this article link, to learn more, from Electrive. JUNE 2023 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESOnce again registrations are up, year on year. However, they are still well below 2019 levels. Battery electric vehicles grew, for the month, to nearly 18% market share, but year-to-date still sits at a smidgen over 16%. Diesel has dropped, unsurprisingly, whilst PHEVs jumped. Petrol was also down for the month and year-on-year. The SMMT has called on the UK Government to cut VAT from public charging to help encourage more to switch. Click here to read the information from the SMMT. UK STELLANTIS BOSS STEPS DOWN Phil Willcox has announced he is stepping down as the UK boss of Stellantis. He will be repl

FOLLOW UP: BIDIRECTIONAL CAMERAS CATCH 3200 DRIVERS In the first 15 days of operation, the four bidirectional cameras, installed by Devon and Cornwall councils, has been triggered 3200 times. One camera was activated 120 times a day. Thanks to listener Mark Snow for bringing this to our attention! Click here to read more from the BBC News article. UK CAR INDUSTRY CALLS ON NEXT GOVERNMENT FOR HELPThe SMMT has moved on to calling to the next Government, whoever that is, to help secure the future of the car industry in the UK. They have laid out five pledges it hopes any of our politicians will pick up and run with. Click here, on this link, to learn more of this desperate move in the face of political apathy from all corners. SUPERMARKETS RIP MOTORISTS OFF Supermarkets have been found to have ripped the British motorists off, due to weak competition allowing them to charge 6p per litre more than they should have. One of the recommendations, from the Competitions and Markets Authority, is to force supermarkets

FOLLOW UP: ALL CARS WITH THERMAL WINDOW DEVICES OWE COMPENSATION IN EUA German court has ruled any car fitted with a thermal window device is deemed illegal, thus owners can sue the manufacturer unless they can prove there is no negligence on the part of the car company. These devices were permitted by the regulations that the EU brought in, up until July 2022. Click this Autocar article link for more information. FOLLOW UP: GHOSN SUES NISSAN FOR DEFAMATION Carlos Ghosn is suing Nissan, two other companies and twelve individuals for defamation, to the tune of $1 billion, relating to his ejection from Nissan and subsequent imprisonment. You can learn more by clicking this Hagerty article link here. FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT OWNER RAIDED BY POLICEThe owner of Britishvolt, who has yet to pay for the company, has been raided by Australian police, relating to tax matters. The company stresses this is all a misunderstanding and is cooperating fully. Click this BBC News article link here, for more information. For Pete

FOLLOW UP: NHTSA TELLS CAR COMPANIES TO IGNORE RIGHT TO REPAIRIn a stunning move, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has told car companies in the USA to ignore the new Massachusetts right-to-repair law. The claims in the letter cover cyber security risks and malicious actions. Questions were also raised about the author of the letter and their involvement in the long battle by John Deere and the right to repair and how that could be seen as a conflict. Click this Reuters article link for more. For some context on the claims in the NHTAS letter and how they run a little hollow, click this link from Hot Hardware. VW ANNOUNCE ANOTHER NEW STRATEGYVolkswagen CEO, Thomas Schäfer, announced the latest strategy for the brand. They will be prioritising volumes, with sales, cutting some of their models as they focus on “core models”. There is also mention of more cross brand working. You can find out more by clicking this AM Online article link here. That is not the end of the announcements th

FOLLOW UP: COURT APPROVES MORE AREAS OF ULEZ CONTENTIONThe High Court has approved a further two grounds for contesting the expansion of the London ULEZ, following initial legal efforts in February where only two of five grounds were accepted. There are five councils fighting the expansion which is due to be reviewed on 4 July. To learn more, click here to read the Enfield Dispatch article. ‘NO MOW MAY’ RAISES CONCERNS‘No Mow May’ is a campaign that allows verges to grow, thus enabling plant life to flourish. However, some concerns have been raised as this has led to reduced visibility. PlantLife have helped 300 local authorities to adopt this. Click this Autocar link to learn more. EV SHOULD PAY-PER-MILE SAYS THINK TANKThe Centre for Policy Studies, an organisation with strong links to the Conservatives, has recommended to the Government, that all EVs are charged per mile, to help replace the lost vehicle excise duty venue. They go on to recommend a set amount of free mileage per year, with those in more

FOLLOW UP: VW AND AUDI AGREE DIESELGATE DEAL WITH TEXASVolkswagen and Audi have agreed, in principle, a settlement deal with the State of Texas over breaking environmental laws because of dieselgate. A sum of $85 million will be paid. Click this US News article link for more. FOLLOW UP: EV GRITTER NAMESAfter mentioning looking forward to seeing the EV gritter names on last week’s show, we have had some suggestions. Jouletide Grittings, Salt Watter and DeICEr. Thank you to Nir Kahn for those, they’re wonderful. Feel free to send the chaps your suggestions. MAY 2023 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESMay 2023 New Car Registration figures are up 16.7% on last year, but don’t forget that was quite poor due to supply constraints. The main driver, sorry not sorry, of May’s rise is an increase in Fleet registrations, up nearly 37% on last year. There is also a change at the top of the ‘Most Registered Cars’ chart too. To find out more, click this article link from the SMMT. JAGUAR I-PACE RECALLED IN US OVER FIRE RISKJagu

CAR CRIME DRAMATICALLY RISES2022 saw a rise of 25% in stolen vehicles, on the previous twelve months. Items stolen from vehicles also rose. Figures are expected to be higher as Devon and Cornwall Police could not provide statistics. Relay theft is being cited as part of the problem, but we know, thanks to Ken Tindell and Ian Tabor there is a new way some cars are being stolen, click here to learn more on that technique from Ken. Click this link, from Motoring Research, to read more about the rise in car crime. DEALERSHIP PRICE CLAIMS MISLEADING IN RULINGThe Advertising Standards Agency has ruled that pricing a car for only five days, then reducing that price and then claiming there will be a saving for the consumer is misleading. Marshall Motor Group did this and have been censured by the ASA as a result. Five days does not set any reference for the price, according to the ruling. Click here to read more from AMOnline and the wider implications to the industry. CHARGEPLACE SCOTLAND TO BE PRIVATISEDAs demand f

FOLLOW UP: US LAWMAKERS ATTEMPT AM LOSS U-TURNSenators in the US are banding together to try and create a bill that will force car makers to install the option of AM Radio in all new cars. The claim is that removing it weakens the Government’s ability to issue emergency broadcasts. Click here to read the Autoevolution article. GEELY INCREASES STAKE IN ASTON MARTINAfter several attempts to increase their investment in Aston Martin, that Lance Stroll had rebuffed, Geely announced that it now owns 17% of the brand. This makes them the third largest shareholder. To read more, click this EVO article link here. CALL FOR OVER-70S TO GET MANDATORY EYE CHECKSOlder Drivers Forum, as road safety organisation, has called for all drivers to take a mandatory eye-test as they hit 70 and every three years recurring. This sounds like an eminently sensible idea that we hope will become law. You can find out more, by clicking this Autocar link here. CAR INDUSTRY WARNS OF RULES OF ORIGIN IMPACTVauxhall, quickly followed by For

FOLLOW UP: LOS ANGLES SUBURB TARGETS STREET TAKEOVER CULTUREFollowing on from the recent news of Australia fining spectators of street takeover events, a Los Angles suburb, Pico Rivera, are introducing similar laws. Spectators up to 500 feet away can be fined up to $2000. Vehicles used in the event can be permanently confiscated. California already has tough rules for such events but this goes further. Click here to read more from The Drive. US AIRBAG RECALL REJECTED BY SUPPLIERARC, the maker of 67 million airbags that the NHTSA has ordered be recalled because a found defect has created “an unreasonable risk of death and injury", has rejected the recommendation. ARC state that the NHTSA’s eight year investigation has failed to show a "systemic or prevalent defect” in the inflators. To learn more, click this BBC News article link here. JAGUAR LAND ROVER SHOWS SIGNS OF FINANCIAL RECOVERYThanks to JLR’s supply chain woes easing slightly, their fourth quarter financial results are much improved on the previous ye

FOLLOW UP: STADLER TO CONFESS TO ROLE IN DIESELGATEFormer Audio CEO, Rupert Stadler is to confess to his role in dieselgate, after a judge told him to or face a lengthy prison sentence. He will now receive a suspended sentence and pay a fine of €1.1 million. During court case he maintained his innocence and stuck to the claim it was down to engineers that defeat device engines were still sold in Europe after the scandal broke. Click this Automotive News Europe article link to read more. FOLLOW UP: ARRIVAL DEATH SPIRAL CONTINUESArrival released their 6-K Report in the US and it makes for quite the read. They are claiming they do not have enough personnel to sort it out reporting their financials properly so need more time, especially as they are scrambling around trying to raise more funds. They also declare they will report on their financial situation that will cause doubts on them continuing. To read more, click this link to Peter Campell’s Twitter thread on this extraordinary information.NEW CAR REGISTRATI

FOLLOW UP: CONTINENTAL EXEC IMPLICATES OTHERS OVER DIESELGATEA Continental manager has admitted their involvement in Dieselgate and implicated that others were involved, to German prosecutors. There are a total of 60 individuals being investigated over various levels of fraud. To read more, click this Automotive News article link here. FOLLOW UP: JLR LOSE C-TYPE COPYRIGHTJaguar Land Rover has lost a copyright infringement case in Sweden where they were taking several defendants to court. In a move that it appears JLR lawyers were not expecting, the defendants claimed that because Jaguar had not done anything to prevent replicas before they had implicitly approved. For more information, click here to read an explanation from Mattias Malmstedt on LinkedIn. GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING GRADUATED DRIVING LICENSESNewly qualified under-25 could be restricted in carrying younger passengers for a set time. This is one of several ideas being considered to try and help reduce road incidents and injuries. This is something t

JAGUAR LAND ROVER ANNOUNCEMENTSJaguarl Landrover announced that henceforth it would be “brand house” JLR. Many words and an abstract teaser image were used to describe Jaguar’s future. You can learn more form Autocar here.FORMER FORD BOSS JOINS ASTON MARTINFormer Ford of Europe chairman, Steven Armstrong has joined Aston Martin as part of its latest recovery strategy. Autocar has more here.INEOS TO BUILD SMALL ELECTRIC OFF-ROADERIneos is going to expand its model line beyond the Grenadier with a small, electric off-roader being engineered by Magna and expected in 2026. There’s more information here.ASTON MARTIN AND MCLAREN MUST SELL EVSChanges in US Emission rules from 2032 mean that small volume manufacturers will be subject to the same fleet CO2 targets as other manufacturers. Find out more here.EU MOTORIST GIVEN £11,000 ULEZ FINEForeign-registered cars, even if compliant, will be fined on entry to the London ULEZ. Postal delays in sending out penalty notices abroad and then processing by hire and lease fir

FOLLOW UP: ALL NEW SMART MOTORWAYS AXEDThe UK Government has given in to populist pressure and scrapped all new Smart Motorway plans. Teh safety benefits are dubious, but no doubt this will result in a reduction in public infrastructure spending. You can read more in this Government press release.NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR MARCH 2023New car registrations in the UK have risen year-on-year for March, with significant gains by EVs and small SUVs. They’re still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels, but supply is easing and demand seems steady. You can read more in this article from SMMT.TESLA WORKERS SHARE CAR-RECORDED IMAGESEx-Employees are alledging significant data and privacy breaches at Tesla regarding in and out of car videos and still imagesbeing shared around employees. More detail in this Guardian article.FIRST HANDS-FREE DRIVING SYSTEM APPROVED FOR UK ROAD USEFord’s BlueCruise system has been approved for use on UK roads. The “hands-off, eyes-on” system is geofenced for motorway use only, but if you h

FOLLOW UP: EX-AUDI BOSS FACES JAIL IN GERMANYRupert Stadler, the former CEO of Audi has been told the case of fraud against him and others, has been substantiated and therefore could face jail unless he fully confesses. He and three other defendants were charged in 2020. The judge confirmed that there was no proof that one of the engineers was guilty of criminal activity. Click here to read more, from the Automotive News Europe article. FOLLOW UP: PARIS RESIDENTS VOTE TO BAN E-SCOOTERSWith a turnout of just 6%, residents of Paris have voted to ban dockless shared e-scooters. This has cause furious anger from the pro-scooter brigade. Whilst the vote is only advisory the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, insisted she would abide by the result. Click this Move Electric article link to learn more. UK GOVERNMENT ZEV MANDATE CONSULTATION OPENSThe UK Government has opened its zero emission vehicle mandate consultation. They have outlined their proposed implementation of policies that would require zero emission vehicle