FOLLOW UP: CONTINENTAL FINED $107M FOR DIESELGATEContinental, the automotive parts supplier, has been fined €100 million for its part in the dieselgate scandal. The fine was such due to the full cooperation of the company and changes they have subsequently made to their compliance structures. There are six weeks for Continental to pay the fine. Click this Reuters article for more information. STELLANTIS LASHES OUT AT EV MANDATESCarlos Tavares criticises the current UK EV mandates as...

FOLLOW UP: WALES TO CHANGE SOME ROADS BACK TO 30MPHKen Skates, the Welsh Government Transport Secretary, has announced that some of the road limits recently changed from 30mph to 20mph, will now revert back to the original limit. This is an acknowledgement that the implementation of the reduced road speeds has not been as carefully executed as should have occured. If you wish to learn more about this story, click this BBC News article link here. UK GOVERNMENT RULES OUT GRANTS FOR EVSThe UK...

FOLLOW UP: BYD HELPED BY CHINESE GOVERNMENTA report is claiming that BYD has received $3.7 billion, in funding from the Chinese Government, to help it to reach its dominating position. This is all part of the EU’s investigation into whether companies from the country have an unfair advantage thanks to state aid. Click this Yahoo Finance article link for more information. FOLLOW UP: BRITISHVOLT SITE TO BE SOLD BY COUNCILThe site of the ill-fated Britishvolt battery factory is to be sold by...

FOLLOW UP: RENAULT AND VOLVO GROUP PRESENT EV VAN JVFlexis is the name of the joint-venture between Renault, the Volvo Group and transportation company CMA CGM, that will develop EV vans aimed at urban and last mile deliveries. This will fill the gap in both Renault and Volvo’s offerings to the commercial vehicle industry. For more information, click this Autocar link here. TOYOTA UPDATES ON CAR THEFTSToyota GB has issues a statement regarding thefts of certain models and a fix that will be...

FOLLOW UP: LUCID RAISES $1B FROM SAUDI ARABIATHe luxury EV maker, Lucid, has received a further $1 billion in investment, from the Saudi Arabian sovereign fund, Public Investment Fund. They also increased the number of vehicles they expect to produce in 2024 compared to 2023, still only 9,000 cars though. If you wish to learn more, click this link to a Reuters article. FOLLOW UP: CANOO BUYS UP ARRIVAL EQUIPMENTThe bones of Arrival are being picked over as the administration team try to...

FOLLOW UP: RENAULT VOLVO JV FOR EV VANS IS ONLast week we discussed the Reuters article that stated Renault and Volvo will announce that their joint venture for electric vans will shut in early April. This turns out not to be the case. Thanks to Renault sources we can confirm the JV is still very much on. Click this article link from AMOnline to read more. FOLLOW UP: FISKER TALKS WITH NISSAN BREAK DOWNThe electric car company Fisker, has had their shares suspended following a huge drop in...

FOLLOW UP: RENAULT AND VOLVO TO SHUT EV VAN PROJECTRenault and Volvo will announce that their joint venture for electric vans will shut in early April. There is no detail on why this is. Click here for more information, via the Reuters article link. UK GOVERNMENT PREPARES TRADE SANCTIONS ON CHINESE EVSAt a SMMT conference, the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said that the UK Government could impose sanctions to prevent the market being unfairly in favour of subsidised Chinese electric...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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:...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...