New petrol and diesel cars will be banned from sale by 2035, lorries five years later and aircraft and shipping will face stinging new fuel taxes under proposals announced this week by the EU. Imported steel used to make vehicles will also be heavily taxed as the EU seeks to dramatically reduce cross border carbon footprints. Ex Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has told the BBC how he was … [Read more...]
Newslines 15 June
Peugeot has opened the order books for its all-new e-Rifter. First deliveries will be in November and in Allure Premium or GT trim levels from £30,375 using a 100kw (136hp) electric powertrain capable of up to 260Nm of torque and a 50kWh battery, good for up to 172 miles from a single charge. Two Americans who helped former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan in December 2019 … [Read more...]
£100M new model and plan for Lotus
Road and racing marque Lotus is investing £100M in a new model and production facility. A new series of sports cars is confirmed with prototype production of the Lotus Type 131 to commence this year in Hethel, Norfolk. It is likely to be the last powered by a conventional petrol engine before an ev-powertrain is developed. The new manufacturing investment is part of … [Read more...]
End of the road for Mitsubishi cars in UK
Mitsubishi cars will stop being sold in the UK and Europe. Importers Colt Cars, of Cirencester has written to over 100 UK franchise dealers saying the news was unexpected from Japan and meant no new generation models would be coming through the system but they can sell current models. Colt Cars is working to ensure as many retailers as possible are retained to support customers with parts and … [Read more...]
Newslines 16 January
Kia will introduce 11 BEVs over the next five years and they will make up 75% of sales, under the company’s Plan S strategy announced this week in Seoul. The remaining 25% of sales will be conventional eco-friendly internal combustion engined models but it also intends to increase income from car sharing mobility services including hydrogen models. Cardiff's proposed £2.00 daily commuter charge … [Read more...]
Newslines 5 February
The new 2019 Mitsubishi Mirage is available to UK customers from £11,295. A new entry level Mirage 3 is available with a manual transmission and is £1,005 less than the outgoing Juro model and they have a 3 cylinder 1.2-litre MIVEC engine, 80hp and 106Nm torque and emit 107g/km CO2. Two plug-in versions of the new BMW 7-Series will arrive in Spring. In-line 6-cylinder petrol engine and … [Read more...]
Tradelines 1 March
Renault-Nissan Alliance and Transdev have agreed to jointly explore development of mobility services with fleets of electric driverless vehicles for public and on-demand transportation. The companies will collaborate to develop a comprehensive, modular transportation system to enable clients to book rides, and mobility operators to monitor and operate self-driving car fleets. As part of its … [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 second-hand models would plummet in … [Read more...]
Car makers bid for technology to grow sales
Profit pressed car makers are increasingly turning to technology to grow business. Renault-Nissan will begin hiring at least 300 tech experts this month, joining other automakers in trying to lure staff away from Silicon Valley. Most recruits will be software engineers with experience in vehicle connectivity and mobility services, a category that includes car-sharing, the alliance said. They … [Read more...]