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Recorded live at the Royal Automobile Club, this week Autocar's Steve Cropley and Matt Prior meet Ian Callum, director of design, and David Fairbairn, managing director, from Callum Designs.The pair's working relationship – and friendship – stretches back to their time at Jaguar together. On leaving JLR, they established Callum Designs as an industrial design studio, which has released all-new models like the Callum Skye, restores and modifies classics like the Mini and Aston Martin Vanquish, made a one-off roadgoing Jaguar C-X75, and – shhh – does top secret work for clients. Callum and Fairbairn spill the beans on all things Callum plus their previous lives in this lively debate recorded during London Motor Week.Cropley and Prior are back with their regular My Week In Cars podcast every Wednesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior back in the Autocar store room as they talk about a Can-Am Lotus - yours for a million quid - the helpfulness of an old tractor if you've lost your licence, the GM President on driving Corvettes, luxury people carriers and much more besides, including your correpsondence.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FOLLOW UP: IMPACT OF JLR SHUTDOWNProfessor David Bailey has written up a piece on Blogs from the Blackstuff following a report from the Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC), which outlines the cost of the JLR shutdown and it is large. The estimated cost is in the region of £1.9 billion but could be as high as £2.1 billion. Over 5,000 businesses were affected. The CMC hopes businesses, the Government and insurers to learn lessons. To read more, click this article link here. NEW CHIP CRISIS LOOMINGAnother week and another example of how crucial China is to making things. This time there is a spat between Dutch and the Chinese Governments over the chip maker Nexperia after the Chinese CEO was removed and the European country took control of the company. They supply a lot of the car industry, particularly the electric car making segment. China has restricted exports of their chips, which means the company cannot guarantee reliable supply. For more on this story, click this link to an electrive article here. PORSCHE PROFITS PLUMMET AGAINPorsche has released their financial results for the last quarter and they are, once again, poor. They had an operating loss of €966 million, with return on sales for the year dropping to just 0.2% after being 14.1% the year before. Click this Piston Heads article link here, for more. FORD EUROPE FINDS A NEW BOSSFord Europe are to get a new president, Jim Baumbick, who moves from global head of product development and head of advanced product development. He takes the reigns on 1 November 2025. The role has been vacant for some time. If you want to read more, click this electrive article link here. UK GOVERNMENT HELP TOYOTA BUILD A CARToyota is receiving £15 million investment from the UK Government to explore the feasibility of bringing their FT-Me Concept to market. Think IQ size and it being a quadracycle, with the idea of it being used in high density urban areas. You can find out more, by clicking this Autocar article link here. WAYMO SELF-DRIVING CARS TO TEST IN LONDONWaymo is bringing some of their autonomous vehicles to London, to take part in a Government backed trial. They will join Uber, in the spring. For more on this story, click this Autocar link. For some context, here is a link to a Bluesky thread that demonstrates had bad Waymo is at autonomous driving (and it is the least worst at it!). LORDS PUSH FOR ACCESSIBILITY AT EV CHARGERSThe House of Lords has backed an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, that would make accessibility standards legally binding for EV chargers if approved in the House of Commons. Click this link from EV Powered to read more. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it...
The somewhat ageing but still impressive Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV will remain in production for several more years. The company confirming that the slower than expected uptake of electric models was behind the production extension. Speaking to U.K. publication Autocar, the managing director of Stellantis Premium brands Jules Tilestone said that with 80 per cent of the U.K market still internal combustion engines, people are looking for fun-to-drive performance cars and the Giulia and Stelvio still offer that in spades. Alfa Romeo has pushed back replacements for its performance duo originally due for 2026. A new generation Stelvio SUV originally planned as an electric-only model, designed to compete with the all-electric Porsche Macan has been paused. In Australia, the performance Veloce models of both the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV are still highly regarded by those seeking a higher driving experience.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hyundai has announced big plans at its first Investor Day in India. On this episode of the Autocar Deep Drive Podcast powered by Kotak Mahindra Prime, Hormazd Sorabjee - Editor, Autocar India - and Ketan Thakkar - Editor, Autocar Professional - discuss the planned product offensive and why it marks the start of a new era for Hyundai in India.
In this week's Autocar Meets podcast, Deputy Editor Felix Page meets Nissan GB's managing director James Taylor.Appointed in May of this year, Taylor brought to Nissan a raft of experience within the automotive industry, including most recently being managing director of Vauxhall UK, as well as senior roles within Stellantis.He joined Nissan at an important time, too, just ahead of launching the all-new Micra and an all-new Leaf. Felix Page caught up with him to find out how the brand will get back to the front of the EV race, having spearheaded the electric movement, and how its positioning and customer base are changing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FOLLOW UP: UK DIESELGATE TRIAL BEGINSA trial has begun in the UK High Court to decide if some manufacturers used software to pass emission tests but then acted differently outside of test conditions. The brands all deny the charge. To read more, click this Motor Trader article link here. FOLLOW UP: JLR RESTARTS ALL PRODUCTION LINESJLR has now started the last of their production lines following the chaos from the cyber attack at the start of September. Halewood was the last facility to get back up. If you wish to find out more, click this Autocar article link here. PORSCHE FINDS A NEW BOSSFollowing the announcement that Oliver Blume would relinquish his role as CEO of Porsche the company has been searching for a replacement. Ex-McLaren CEO Michael Leiters returns to the brand to lead it, allowing Blume to focus on his Volkswagen Group role. You can learn more, by clicking this Autocar article link here. TOYOTA GB FINDS A NEW BOSSToyota GB has announced that Luigi Ksawery Lucá will be the new prsident and managing director of the company, as Scott Thompson will be returning to Toyota Australia. Lucá starts in the role from 1 January 2026. For more, click this Motor Trader article link here. CARDIFF PARKING PLANCardiff Council has announced how they will be revamping parking within the city. Unfortunately, nearly all of the reporting on the matter has been shockingly bad thanks to equating weight with size. There are no restrictions to the size of a car, being introduced only the weight. Cars over 2400kg revenue weight (gross weight) will face a surcharge for a parking permit. This includes EVs. However, they plan to phase in a reduced weight for the surcharge, of 2000kg revenue weight that will exempt EVs. Do residents actually know what cars will be charged extra? In all likelihood they are going to be surprised, especially when the reduced limit comes into force. To read one of the better articles out there on this story, click this Motoring Research link here. To read the Cardiff City Council parking plan, click this link here. QUICK FIRE CATCH UP ON EV RELATED NEWSTo read about the new funds for Cornish Lithium, click this electrive article link here. To read about Duracell entering the ultra-rapid charging network space, click this electrive article link here. To read about Blink Charging being engaged in a West Yorkshire charging infrastructure project, click...
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley wondering if he should host his own car show, Prior thinking Polestars and Volvos, and the pair talking Saabs, Renault 4s, Autocar's Japanese publication and much more besides, including your correspondence.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Austrian bike maker KTM has had a troubled few years but Bajaj Auto that took over operations earlier this year sees potential for a return to glory. On this episode of the Autocar Deep Drive Podcast powered by Kotak Mahindra Prime, Rishaad Mody - Editor, Bikes, Autocar India - and Ketan Thakkar - Editor, Autocar Professional - discuss what went wrong at KTM and Bajaj Auto's vision for the manufacturer.
In this week's Autocar Meets, Steve Cropley and Matt Prior meet Malcolm Wilson OBE, former rally driver, founder of leading motorsport engineering company M-Sport, and Deputy President for Sport at the FIA. Based in Cumbria, M-Sport has a rich heritage engineering Ford's World Rally Championship competitors, the Bathurst 12h winning Bentley Continental GT3, special Fords, BTCC engines, and much more besides. Join us as we talk about all of this and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FOLLOW UP: FCA FINANCIAL REDRESS CONSULTATIONFollowing the Supreme Court's recent ruling that some forms of historical car financing was illegal the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has opened a consultation into how those effected should be compensated. Some from within industry are unhappy at what is being covered and the potential exposure in terms of repayments. To find out more, click this article link here from Broker News. STELLANTIS MANAGEMENT AND PLAN CHANGESStellantis are getting a new European boss, with Emanuele Capellano taking over from Jean-Philippe Emperato, who takes the reigns at Maserati. This is the latest move by the new CEO of the group, Antonio Felosa, as he continues to shape the company in a way he feels will bring success. Click this Autocar article for more. Talking of shaping the company, in the US Stellantis announce a huge investment of over £10 billion to help the North American brands bring new models to market including, it is being suggested, V8 power plants. Click this Carcoops article link here to find out more. ASTON MARTIN PROFIT WARNINGAston Martin gave a warning to investors that it will not hit the target of profitability by the end of 2025, as hoped. Blame is being laid at the feet of weak demand and delays to the Valhalla hypercar. Adding further pain is that they share several suppliers with JLR who have been dealing with the knock on effect of the cyberattack. If you wish to read more, click this Business Matters article link here.MUNRO GETS FURTHER INVESTMENTMunro, the Scottish off-road EV start up, has secured a further £2 million funding from an existing and other investors. This will enable them to expand their production facilities and create up to 300 new jobs as they aim for an annual production capacity of 5000 vehicles by 2031. To read more about this success story, click the EV Powered link here. CHINA RESTRICTS RARE EARTH EXPORTS AGAINChina is reminding the world exactly how much power it has, in terms of controlling global manufacturing, by adding more restrictions to some rare earths that are used across industries, including automotive. You can find out more, by clicking this Chatham House article link here. To read the latest from Ed Conway, about rare earths, click this Substack link here. JEEP OTA UPDATE BRICKS CARSAnother week and another story of an Over the Air (OTA) update having unintended consequences on cars and their owners. This time Jeep issued an update last week that has put some cars in ‘limp home mode', whilst others have been bricked. Once more, much of the car industry does not seem to get software and how much harm doing it badly reflects back on...
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior inside a Hyundai during a photoshoot to talk cars and more, including the last Bicester Motion Scramble of 2025, the Alpine A290 vs Renault 5, the T Plate, the cyclorn, and much more besides, including your correspondence.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
According to a report published in Autocar, Bentley is the latest company to back pedal on plans to go fully electric – the luxury brand said to be planning pure petrol successors to its Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga SUV. The move reverses the decision it announced in 2022 that it would move to pure electric production by the end of the decade. Porsche and Audi have already announced similar plans with the three companies under the Volkswagen Group sharing platforms, drivetrains and other componentry. It appears the decision by Bentley reflects a dip in demand from key markets including North America and the Middle East where there is a lack of support for an all-electric strategy. Other luxury manufacturers delaying an all-electric strategy include Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, BMW and Mercedes-Benz no word yet on whether Jaguar will do likewise.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A few car and bike manufacturers have set up separate premium showroom channels to retail certain products. On this episode of the Autocar Deep Drive Podcast powered by Kotak Mahindra Prime, Sergius Barretto - Managing Editor, Autocar India - and Ketan Thakkar - Editor, Autocar Professional - discuss why manufacturers see merit in the approach and if it really makes a difference to buyers.
Volvo just had its best-ever sales month in the UK this September - and UK boss Nicole Melillo-Shaw says it's no accident.The brand's move to a direct-to-consumer model, the buzz around the new EX30 – which has doubled orders in recent months – and a sharper retail experience have all powered the surge, she has told the Autocar podcast.Tune into this episode of the Autocar Meets podcast to get the full lowdown on Volvo's secret sauce for success, hear why a radical new way of selling cars has been a big hit with customers and dealers, and how the firm will learn from some of the EX90's hiccups as it lines up a new family of Audi-chasing EVs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FOLLOW UP: JLR WOES STILL CONTINUE BUT MORE PROGRESSJLR continues to battle the effects of the cyber attack that caused them to shut all systems on 1 September, 2025. They are still waiting on signed approval of the Government guarantee for 80% of the loan they are seeking. In the meantime, they are going to inject up to £500 million into their first tier suppliers to help them after no payments for over a month. Click this Business Matters article link here, to read more. The phased restarting of factory operations is expected to begin on 8 October, 2025 (day of publication of this episode). Click the link here, to find out the latest update from Autocar's coverage. SEPTEMBER 2025 NEW CAR REGISTRATIONSThe Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has released the new car registration figures, for September 2025. This is the best September since 2020, with BEVs taking a market share, for the month of 23.3%, whilst petrol still remains the most popular fuel. Fleet sector did most of the heavy lifting, being 55.7% of registrations. Private dropped to 41.9%, although the actual number did increase on 2024. There are new models in the Top Models list. Suggestions are that the Government's Electric Car Grant (ECG) is having a positive effect on this. But don't forget, the way the ECG is set up means it is possible to abuse the system, not that we are saying this has happened. To read more, click this article link from SMMT. RENAULT PLANNING TO ASK FOR VOLUNTARY REDUNDANCIESUnder the name “Arrow”, Renault will be implementing cost saving initiatives such as asking for voluntary redundancies from non production roles, to the tune of 3,000. The final plan is still being worked on and is expected by the end of the year. For more on this story, click this Yahoo!Finance article link here. RENAULT AND DACIA CUSTOMER DATA HACKED IN THE UKRenault and Dacia UK customers have had their data accessed by hackers, who go into a supplier's system. Customers are being warned to be careful of scams and attempts to defraud them as a result. You can read more on this, by clicking the link here to an article from The Register. EV CHARGING COMPANY HACKEDDigital Charging Solutions (DCS), a German based company, has admitted to being hacked. This does affect some UK drivers, as Kia customers have been warned to be vigilant. Click this article link from The Register, to read more. NEARLY ALL CHARGER OPERATORS FAIL RELIABILITY OBJECTIVESThe Public Charge Point Regulations mandate that charger operators must ensure their chargers are operational 99% of the time. Only 4% meet this requirement. Lots of blame being thrown around as to why. To learn more,
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley driving an Alpine A290 and Matt Prior beside him, so the duo talk their respective Autocar columns while they're there. They talk sprint or hillclimb cars, cars getting old, books, hot hatches and much more besides, including your correspondence.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Victoris is not only the latest midsized SUV to go on sale in India but also Maruti Suzuki's second offering in the segment; it will sell alongside the Grand Vitara. What is the carmaker's gameplan? Hormazd Sorabjee - Editor, Autocar India - and Sergius Barretto - Managing Editor, Autocar India - discuss in this episode of the Autocar Deep Drive Podcast powered by Kotak Mahindra Prime.
In this bonus episode of the Autocar podcast, editor Mark Tisshaw meets the recently appointed boss of Citroën, to hear how this iconic French brand will inject its "DNA and spirit" into its upcoming cars. Ahead of a big brand showcase in December, Xavier Chardon gives us clues about his battle plan, which includes a tight line-up of spacious, comfortable cars - and maybe even an e-2CV! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FOLLOW UP: JLR WOES STILL CONTINUE BUT SOME PROGRESSWhilst JLR is still battling against the hack that caused them to shut all their systems down on the 2 September, there is some positive progress. The company has started a phased process of turning back on some systems and they expect to begin limited car production later this week. On top of that, the Government has guaranteed 80% of a loan the company is seeking to take out to help cover the costs resulting from the shutdown. To find out the latest, click this Autocar article link here. Link to Professor David Bailey's piece explaining about the loan JLR has taken out and the UK Government has guaranteed a portion of, can be clicked here. VW GROUP PAUSING EV PRODUCTIONDue to a lower demand than anticipated, the Volkswagen Group is pausing EV production in several factories. The factories in Zwickau and Emden in Germany, as well as Tennessee in the US, will pause production of various electric models in the coming weeks. Tariffs are also impacting the finances of the company which is already struggling to cut costs. Click this InsideEVs article link here to read more. STELLANTIS PAUSING PRODUCTION ACROSS EUROPEStellantis is another company that is pausing their car production facilities due to cost savings, lacklustre sales figures and the impact of the tariffs. Pomigliano factory, in Italy, is currently not making the Fiat Panda and Alfar Romeo Tonale. The Poissy site, in France, will pause production for the middle of October. On top of that facilities in Poland, Spain and Germany are also expected to follow suit. If you want to find out more, click this Carscoops article link here. BENTLEY TO FOLLOW PORSCHE AND KEEP ICE IN LINEUPIn what should be no surprise to anyone, Bentley will be keeping combustion engine powertrain options in their cars contrary to the previous ‘Beyond100' plan, just as Porsche has announced. You can read more, by clicking this Autocar link here. BOSCH CUTS JOBSBosch is cutting up to 13,000 jobs on top of the previously announced 9,000. This is a result of trying to save €2.5 billion. Of note, Bosch is the world's largest automotive supplier. For more on this story, click the link here to an electrive article. FRANCE REVIEWING NISSAN SUPPLIER PAYMENTSThe French Government has asked to see Nissan's payments to suppliers. There is no indication as to why this has occurred nor is there a suggestion Nissan has done anything wrong. In France companies have to pay invoices within 60 days. Click this Yahoo!Finance article to read more. CHANGES IN MERCEDES MANAGEMENTCTO Markus Schäffer is leaving Mercedes-Benz, after 30 years service. Jörg Burzer will move from head of production, quality and supply chain management to replace him. That means Michael Schiebe will move on from being in charge of Mercedes-AMG to take up Burzer's old role. A new head...
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley driving a Renault 5 at the Watergate Bay sprint. Matt Prior drives an MGB restomodded by the excellent people of Frontline. Cropley has a VW T-Roc on loan, they've both driven a BYD Dolphin Surf, we have correspondence from an American in Ireland and some pigeons begin nesting in Prior's garden.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The government has reworked the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and car buyers have lots to cheer. On this episode of the Autocar Deep Drive Podcast powered by Kotak Mahindra Prime, Hormazd Sorabjee - Editor, Autocar India - and Ketan Thakkar - Editor, Autocar Professional - discuss the new rates on cars, implications for the industry and why now is a great time to buy a new car.
FOLLOW UP: JLR WOES STILL CONTINUEJLR have put back their proposed production restart from 24 September to 1 October as they continue to try and deal with the hack on their systems where the effects became apparent on 1 September. What has only started to be appreciated is the knock-on effect the closures have had on suppliers to the company. Staff have been told to apply for Universal Credit, due to stopped wages, and many are calling on a furlough scheme to be instigated by the Government. To read more about the ongoing issues for JLR, click this Autocar article link here. To gain an understanding of the affects down the supply chain, click this article link from The Record. CITROËN ISSUES NEW NO-DRIVE WARNINGCitroën UK has issued a new no-drive warning, covering the C3, ë-C3, C3 Aircross and ë-C3Aircross, due to potential brake failure. This no-drive notice is on top of the other two the company is already dealing with. Click this Autocar article link here to read more. PORSCHE DELAY EV MOVE GIVING VW GROUP $6BN PROFIT HITPorsche has announced that they are delaying their move to EVs as had been expected. The Panamera and Cayenne will have ICE and hybrid options into 2030, rather than going all electric. Likewise the new 718 models. The projected hit to Volkswagen Group profits is a smidgen under $6 billion, following this move. You can read more by clicking this Yahoo! Finance article link here. NISSAN SHRINKS LONDON DESIGN STUDIO AND CLOSES OTHERSNissan cost cutting efforts have been turned to the design studios across the globe. Those in California and Brazil will be shut, with the Paddington studio expected to lose some staff numbers too. Click this Autocar article link here. FORD CUTS JOBS IN GERMANYDue to much weaker than expected sales of the Explorer and Capri, Ford has announced that it is cutting up to 1,000 jobs at their Cologne factory. This is on top of the previous 2,900 jobs that went at the end of 2024.If you wish to read more, click this Autocar article link here. TOM MATANO HAS PASSED AWAYTom Matano was the designer of the first two generations of the Mazda MX-5 and has sadly passed away on 20 September 2025, aged 76. He had a long career where he worked for GM, BMW and then onto Mazda. To learn more about him and his career, click this Classic & Sports Car article link here. BUFFETT SELLS ENTIRE BYD STAKEWarren Buffett, the renowned investor, has sold his entire stake in the Chinese EV maker BYD. This is the first time since 2008 that Berkshire Hathaway did not hold any stock in the company. Click this article link from Fortune for more information. TOYOTA AE86 ENGINE BLOCKS BEING BUILT AGAINToyota is building the parts...
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley driving the Ineos Quartermaster and Matt Prior at the wheel of the reborn Zenos E10 in prototype form. The pair also talk Swedish trailers, software updates, re-tests, MGBs and more besides.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Step inside Renault's bold reinvention with this episode of the Autocar Meets podcast. Deputy editor Felix Page rides through London with Renault's Chief Marketing Officer, Arnaud Belloni, to uncover how the brand is reshaping its identity for a new era. From the launch of Renault's striking new concept stores – including a new Battersea site – to the revival of legends like the 4, 5, and Twingo, Belloni explains why Renault is leaning into storytelling, design, and emotion to connect with customers. He reveals how the brand is returning to city centres with smaller, lifestyle-focused showrooms, merging cars with cafés, lounges, and curated merchandise to build a brand 'touchpoint' that serves as far more than mere a sales channel. Belloni also reflects on Renault's evolution since the ‘80s when it was a 'nobody brand', the unique bond the brand has with UK buyers, and why authenticity drives respect in today's market. And in a fascinating discussion on merchandise, he shares why Renault is following the lead of global lifestyle brands, turning icons like the Renault 5 into not just cars, but experiences you can wear, play, and live with - including £4000 table football sets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FOLLOW UP: JLR WOES CONTINUEAs expected, there is no quick resolution to their IT woes, following the hack reported on 1 September, 2025. Also, again as expected, they have confirmed that data has been accessed including personal data. However, we do not know who's data that is. Reports suggest the company is losing around £5 million per day, thanks to the global shutdown. As a result there are increasing calls for the Government to step in and support the JLR. To read more about the situation, click this Autocar article link here. SHOCKING FAIL FOR MG3 DURING EURONCAP TESTSDuring the latest round of EuroNCAP tests the MG3 driver's seat, when in the frontal offset crash test, twisted upon impact due to the latching mechanism failing. MG has confirmed that this has now been rectified but cars bought before August 2025 will not get the fix. Added to this is that the driver's airbag was only sufficient for an “adequate” rating. If you want to find out more, click this Autocar article link here. EU AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY SUMMITEU politicians and the continent's car manufacturers have met to discuss the state of the industry and the future. The EU is sticking by its 2035 ICE ban but is open to a new car category, for small efficient vehicles, similar to the Japanese kei car. For more on this story, click this electrive article link here. VW ID.GOLF TO BE DELAYEDThe woes for Volkswagen continue as news comes out that they are delaying the launch of the ID.Golf and ID.Roc, as well as seeking a partner for their battery subsidiary PowerCo. The ID.Golf had previously been delayed from 2028 to 2029, but now 2030 is the target. You can read more, by clicking this article link here from electrive. BMW INSTALLS CHARGERS IN NATIONAL PARKSBMW has spent the last three years helping to install 135 charge points in the UK's National Parks, costing the company around £1 million. On top of that BMW helped fund projects within individual parks. Click this Motoring Research article to read more. ALEXANDER DENNIS OFFERS RETROFIT EV POWERTRAINSAlexander Dennis, the bus manufacturer, is offering a service where they replace older diesel powertrains with new electric ones. This will save some costs for operators the full cost of a new electric bus. If you wish to learn more, click this electrive article link here. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Munich Motor ShowThe Munich Motor Show was last week, we run through a summary of what happened and what caught our eye, for good and for bad. Click this Motoring Research article
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior talking a little more about the Munich motor show since Steve's return, where he spent some time interviewing the new Renault boss, Francois Provost.We also hear more about the Munich show, our duo help a reader choose a new car (or two), Prior doesn't believe that young people are falling out of love with cars, the Sir William Lyons award for budding young journalists returns, and so does the Citroen Berlingo.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this bonus episode of the Autocar podcast Steve Cropley talks to Karl Ludvigsen, one of the greatest ever writers on motoring subjects. Car-obsessed from his earliest years, he trained in the US as an engineer and designer in the immediate post-war years, beginning a parallel career as a motoring writer and editor almost immediately. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior talking about some of the stars of the Munich Motor Show, driving standards, Lotus, the car spots of Swedish and French towns, Prior's 94mpg Audi A2, how to save the European car industry from mass Chinese imports, the Toyota Alphard, and more besides, including your correspondence. You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
NEW CAR REGISTRATIONS AUGUST 2025August registration figures are down on 2024. Typically a quiet month prior to the number plate change in September, it was still a disappointment. We also do not know how much of an effect the mishandling of the ECG approval list had on the overall numbers. BEVs took a 26.5% market share. There are also some returning models to the Top Models list and a newcomer. To read more, click this link from the SMMT. JLR HIT BY CYBER ATTACKJLR have been hit by a cyber attack that has halted all sales, aftersales and production work. The group claiming responsibility are the ones who hit M&S and others on the UK highstreet. The company has employed specialists to help address the problem but communication has been limited as to what has happened and what is going on. If you want to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. PORSCHE CHANGES TACK ON BATTERIESDue to recent financial performances and market conditions Porsche has reviewed their high performance battery projects and decided to shut some down. They have a battery subsidiary called CellforceGroup which they are reorganising and CellForce will become a small R&D company focusing on developing batteries. This will result in approximately 200 jobs going. For more on this, click the link here from electrive. ZOOPLA TO SHOW PUBLIC EV CHARGER LOCATIONSOccasionally there are stories you hear and think “why hasn't that been done before” and this is one. Zoopla, in partnership with Vauxhall, are adding whether a listed house has a home charger and if not, the location of nearby public chargers. This is a great initiative. Click this Autocar link here to read more. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Kia EV5Kia has revealed the specifications and pricing of the EV5, prior to going on sale later this year. Looks wise, it is very similar to the EV9 but smaller and without the third row of seats. Pitched against the Skoda Enyac and Renault Scenic. Kit will be comprehensive, especially as you move up the trim levels and it come with up to 329 WLTP miles. Expect to see these everywhere. Click this EVPowered to find out more. Audi Concept CAhead of the IAA Munich show Audi revealed their Concept C, inspired by the TT but is not to be seen as a replacement for one. The design is similarly executed that of the Jaguar 00 concept. Design chief Massimo Frascella claimed that this is virtually the production ready design, although we have to wait until 2027 before that is shown. Click this Autocar article link here to read more. Porsche culls the 718Linked to the Porsche battery story and the Audi Concept C story, Porsche announced that the 718 models...
FOLLOW UP: ECG TWEAK AND FIRST BAND 1 CARS ANNOUNCEDThe Government has tightened the loophole where if one vehicle in the range is eligible for the Electric Car Grant (ECG) then all others with the same powertrain configuration are, no matter their price. This has been capped at £42,000. Click this Autocar story link here, to read more. Additionally, the Government has announced the first two cars to be eligible for Band 1 of the grant and thus the full £3750. The Ford Puma Gen-E and the E-Tournio Courier. Click this Motor Trader article to read more. LOTUS CUTS MORE STAFFIn the continued troubling news from Lotus there is the announcement that they are cutting another 550 jobs in the UK, roughly 40%. This follows another poor first half to the year, as sales dropped 42%. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. DACIA LOSE A CEO BUT FIND ANOTHERDenis Le Vot has decided to leave as head of Dacia, with Katrin Adt taking over the reigns. This is one of several changes in Renault Group management. To find out more, click this Autocar article link here. STELLANTIS SHELVES LEVEL 3 AUTONOMOUS DEVELOPMENTStellantis has pulled the plug on deploying their SAE Level 3 autonomous driving system. In February they were saying it was ready to be rolled out. No reasons have been given but the reality of how expensive it is to developing such systems and the flawed path chosen must be part of the reason. To read more, click this Yahoo! Finance article link here. BATTERY RECYCLING CONSORTIUM RAISES £8.1MA consortium, made up of JLR, LiBatt Recycling, WMG at Warwick University and Mint Innovation has secured £8.1 million investment for their battery recycling plans. They intend to perfect recovering lithium, cobalt and nickel from end of life EV batteries. Click this electrive article link here to read more. TESLAMATE SERVERS OPEN TO ALLTeslaMate is a self-hosted data logger for Tesla owners that records all the data that is sent out by the car. A security researcher has discovered he could access thousands of these self-hosted servers and get all the information from the vehicles. To read more, click this link from TechCrunch here. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Changan Deepal S07Changan are one of the biggest Chinese car makers, but you've probably not heard of them. You will now as they're coming to the UK, with the Deepal S07, a similar size to the Skoda...
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior celebrating the third anniversary of Autocar's weekly podcast. And they want to know what you think. Plus they talk about the best cars of the past few years, share some great reviews, and there's some regular stuff too like driving an MGC and your correspondence, plus much more nonsense besides.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this bonus episode of the Autocar podcast, Matt Prior talks to Miki Kazmer, founder of Kamm Manufaktur, which modifies and restores classic Porsche 912s. A huge fan of lightweight cars and underdogs, Kazmer tells Prior what makes him and his cars tick, in the same week that Prior reviews a new 912C from the Hungarian restomodder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
GOVERNMENT CUTS RESTORATION RED TAPEFollowing a long campaign from the Historic and Classic Vehicles Alliance and other similar associations, the Government has simplified the red tape around modifying and restoring vehicles. Notifications can be sent to DVLA for ‘significant structural modifications' and the vehicle can retain the original license plate number and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). This is a big step forward. Click this Hagerty article link here to find out more. ARIEL DOUBLING PRODUCTION CAPACITY WITH NEW FACTORYAriel, the Somerset based specialist performance vehicle manufacturer, have agreed a deal to buy more land that will allow them to double their production capability. If you want to read more, click this Autocar article link here. HMRC RAISES EV MILEAGE CLAIM RATEAfter lots of complaints were raised over the last announcement of the rate business mileage for electric cars could be claimed back at, HMRC has revised them. Now there are two tiers, home charging and public charging. However, the rates still aren't great and frankly totally inadequate if you charge via the public network. To find out more, click this Autocar article link here. PLUG-IN VAN AND LORRY GRANT EXTENDEDThe UK Government has extended the plug-in grant for van and lorries, until “at least 2027”. However, the money is coming out of the £650 million we were told was for the Electric Car Grant (ECG), which turns out to also be improving the charging infrastructure across the country. Click this Autocar article link here, to read more. DO NOT HOON YOUR EVE FOR MORE BATTERY LIFEA recent study has been misreported, according to Aviloo, battery experts. Many read the results to mean one must be very heavy with the right foot to extend the battery lift of one's EV. That is not the case. You can find out more by clicking this Carscoops article link here. TESLA DOES HAVE TO FACE CLASS-ACTION OVER SELF-DRIVING CLAIMSA recent hearing, in front of a judge, between those trying to pursue Tesla in a class-action over mis-selling their self-driving system that has yet to make it to market even though they have taken money from people for it, has resulted in permission being granted to pursue the company. If you want to read more, click this Reuters article link here. To read Ed Niedermeyer's coverage of the hearing, click this link to his Bluesky post. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - BYD Atto 2BYD has revealed details of their Atto 2, a C segment electric SUV. Priced aggressively, at £30,850, it...
The latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior talking about owning Aston Martins (Cropley hasn't, but wonders if he should), Peter Grimsdale's new book Superveloce, how safe it is to run old cars without mudguards, steam fairs, and much more besides, including your correspondence.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FOLLOW UP: GOVERNMENT CONFIRM ECG ELIGIBLE CARSThe UK Government has released the list of car models that are eligible for the Electric Car Grant (ECG). There are a few surprises, including how no cars meet the Band 1 £3750 grant requirements. Click this link here, from EV Powered, to read more. To see Nick Gibb's Bluesky post, adding context to the question of how the Nissan Ayria was eligible, click this link here. For the UK Government's official list of eligible car models, click this link here. FOLLOW UP: CITROËN ADDS MODELS TO ‘STOP-DRIVE' RECALLCitroën has now added new models to the previous ‘stop-drive' order over faulty airbags. Car Dealer is reporting that before this around 120,000 vehicles were affected by the issue. Now that the C4 and DS4, built between 2010 and 2011, plus the DS5 built between 2010 and 2013 there is just a fraction under 10,000 additional vehicles. Citroën was already receiving a backlash on the perceived slowness in addressing the problem, this will not help. If you wish to learn more, click this Car Dealer article link here. ROAD SAFETY CONSULTATION LAUNCHEDThe UK Government has launched a road safety consultation, with a number of issues being given prominent place. For example, once drivers reach 70, they will have to have formal eye tests every three years to show they are fit to drive. Drivers with non seat belt wearing passengers will receive points on their license. There are more besides. Click this Autocar article link to read more. UNSAFE ROAD VEHICLE NUMBERS RISE IN UKIn 2024, nearly 50% more vehicles that were found to be unsafe than the previous year. Tyres were the biggest issue but defective brakes too an alarming jump with 1190 drivers charged last year compared to 181 in 2023. To read more, click this Autocar article link here. LONGBOW ADD MANAGEMENT HEAVYWEIGHTS TO BOARDLongbow, the electric sports car start up, has announced that Mike Flewitt, Michael van der Sande and Dan Balmer are now on the advisory board. Flewitt was CEO of McLaren, van der Sande was at Alpine and Balmer was the boss of Lotus Europe. They will help the company as it works to bring a £65,000 lightweight two seater electric sports car out in 2027. If you want to find out more, click this Autocar article link here. JLR THREATEN RIDICULOUS LEGAL ACTIONJLR sent a ‘cease and desist' letter to the Rail Delivery Group, who run the National Rail website, due to them using the phrase “ranger and rover” to refer to ranger tickets and rover tickets. The car company decided that you are all too stupid to work out a rail company was not referring to a Range Rover. You will now only ever see the words if they are as follows, “ranger tickets and rover tickets”. If you wish to learn more,
Bugatti's Director of Design Frank Heyl loves timeless styling, engineering supremacy - and driving 200mph while listening to The Prodigy.In this special bonus episode of the My Week in Cars podcast, we meet the man who went from designing humble Skoda hatchbacks to shaping some of the world's fastest and most expensive cars.From Concorde to club beats, we find out what makes him tick, and learn exactly what goes into designing a £10 million, 250mph automotive artwork… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
JULY 2025 NEW CAR REGISTRATIONSNew car registrations fall, year-on-year, in July 2025 by 5%. Whilst the electric car grant is now available, which models are eligible and at what rate remains to be seen. This has had a knock on effect with registrations of EVs raising slower than expected. BEVs and PHEVs increased but all other powertrains declined. To read more, click this article linked from the SMMT, here. JLR PROFIT PLUNGE IN FIRST HALF OF 2025Mainly thanks to the tariff farcical situation, JLR saw profits in the second quarter of 2025, plunge by half. Whilst the UK has negotiated a deal that has been implemented, the EU's one is not yet on stream, thus the Defender is still paying the price. Adding to their woes is the self inflicted issue of warranty costs, but outside of their control is volatile foreign exchange rates. if you wish to read more, click this Autocar article link here. LOTUS LOSE ONE CEO AND FIND ANOTHERMatt Windle has left Lotus, either of his own volition or was pushed, depending on who you listen to. The company has appointed Mao Jingbo, current president of China operations, to oversea the UK and European sector. This is the fourth head of the company in two years, with Windle lasting just four months. Click this Autocar article to learn more. ASTEMO INVESTS IN BOLTON SITEAstemo is investing £100 million at a site in Bolton, which will be staffed by 200 employees, to produce components for the next generation of EVs. They have received Government backing for this move. To find out more, click this article link from The Manufacturer. NISSAN OPENS TRUCK CHARGING HUBNissan has opened a truck charging hub on it's production site, in Sunderland. This is open to the public, but they will also charge up electric cab units that they use for their own purposes locally. You can learn more, from this link here to a an electrive article. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Honda CivicHonda is updating the Civic, but you'll have to be good to spot the differences, according to Motoring Research. Tweaks to the looks and the interior are the order of the day. Hybrid powertrain remains the same, as do the three trim levels. Prices start at £33,795. Click here to read more. Nissan MicraPrices and specs have been confirmed by Nissan for the new Micra. Order books open on 1 September and the starting price matches that of the Renault 5, which this is a rebadge of. The three trim levels are Engage, Advanced and Evolve. Prices start at £22,995. Click this Motoring Research article to read more....
This latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior discussing new bosses at both JLR and Lotus, and what it might mean for the companies.Meanwhile Prior gets behind the wheel of the new Aston Martin Valhalla, plus a restomod, the Kamm 912 C (based on a Porsche 912). There's also the fact that the average UK car is getting older, plus much more besides, including your correspondence.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this bonus podcast, Autocar's Editor-in-chief Steve Cropley meets the Fords. Yes, those ones, whose name is above the door at Ford Motor Company.Ford remains the only major car maker to have been led and controlled by its founding family for the entirety of its existence, in this case 122 years and counting. Steve Cropley recently sat down with Bill Ford, Executive Chairman, who is only the fourth Ford family member to sit at the top of the company; as well as his two sons, Will Ford, General Manager of Ford Performance, and Nick Ford, Director of Corporate Strategy.In a wide ranging discussion the quartet discuss improving Ford's passenger car “robustness” in Europe; Ford's enduring commitment to racing, including becoming Red Bull's engine supplier; the move to electrification and why you can't make people buy cars they don't want; the Transit; what it's like to run a family business the size of Ford; and why it's not a family employment agency; plus their favourite cars, and more besides.Make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast. Subscribe to our podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts or via your preferred podcast platform. And if you subscribe, rate and review the pod, we'd really appreciate that too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FOLLOW UP: CAR FINANCE CLAIMSThe Supreme Court has ruled on car finance claims follow last years shock appeal decision that could have meant that lenders were liable for billions in compensation for mis-selling car finance schemes. The court has ruled that dealers do not have to work solely for the benefit of customers, which covers most claims, however if the commission rate is excessive then there is a possibility of a claim. What wasn't covered in this is claims where the dealer and lender could increase the interest on their PCP or HP deal without telling the customer. Anyone who signed up to this is still able to claim. To read all about this complicated matter, click this link here from MoneySavingExpert. FOLLOW UP: RENAULT GROUP ANNOUNCE NEW CEOJust over a week after the interim CEO was announced, Renault Group have found their new permanent CEO, Francois Provost. He has been at the company for 23 years, with his latest position being head of procurement, partnerships and public affairs. Click this Autocar article link to learn more. JLR LOSE ON CEO AND FIND ANOTHERAdrian Mardell is to retire from JLR, after 35 years at the company. The surprise news came out last week and by Monday the company announced his replacement, PB Balaji, who is the chief financial officer of Tata Motors. If you want to read more, click this Autocar link here. STELLANTIS MAKE A BIG LOSSFirst half year results are in for Stellantis and it is brutal. They have made a loss of £2 billion pre-tax. Tariffs are being blamed for a lot of it, but also a slow uptake on their B-segment offerings. The new CEO, Antonio Filosa, has said he will make tough decisions to help turn results around. To find out more, click this Autocar link here. PORSCHE TAKES PROFITS HITPorsche's operating profits dropped €2 billion in the first half of 2025. Once again tariffs are being blamed, but also they continue to lose market share in China. The company is looking at ways to save money, on top of the job cuts it has previously announced. You can read more on this, by clicking an Autocar article link here. HELSINKI REPORTS NO FATALITIES ON ITS ROAD NETWORK IN A YEARHelsinki has not had a road traffic fatality, for over a year. Reasons for this excellent news are a combination of improved infrastructure, all road users working together, reduced speed limits, improved public transport and targeted police efforts. To find out more, click this yle article link here. TESLA FOUND PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR FATAL CRASHA jury has found Tesla partially liable for a fatal accident that also caused life changing injuries to a passenger of a struck vehicle, after Autopilot was engaged. The driver of the Tesla vehicle claims he thought the driver assistance system would handle things whilst he retrieved his dropped phone. Tesla is to appeal the ruling. You can read more
This latest episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior wondering whether Brad Pitt really can pull off pretending to be an F1 driver, what a great car at the Festival of the Unexceptional looks like, an unexpected insurance boon for Cropley, and we look forward to Steve's upcoming chat with Ford's top Fords (Bill, Nick and Will Ford, who he'll interview on the MWIC feed on Saturday 9 August). You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The 151st episode of My Week In Cars finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior chatting about the auction price of some recent classic cars, including a near £300,000 Ford Escort. EV values come into their sights, with a BMW i3 as a notable exception to the current rule, while Prior talks dashcams and the pair discuss much more besides including your correspondence. You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FOLLOW UP: ELECTRIC CAR GRANT FALLOUT CONTINUESAs more details are revealed and more people begin to understand all of the ramifications of the UK Government's Electric Car Grant. Firstly, the list of car eligible for the two tiers of payments will be confirmed on 11 August 2025. The scheme went live on 16 July 2025. Click here to read an Autocar article on this. Secondly, car companies can self-register cars for the scheme and as the rules include Fleet registrations, this opens up the ability for abuse. Whilst these cars contributed to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, now tax payer's money will be used to support car companies to be compliant. Click this link here to read more on that from Autocar. There are some suggesting that the overall scheme will have little affect, as was discussed on the show last week. Indicata, a motoring related data firm, has calculated that the grant will affect only 5.8% or 14.4% of new car registrations, dependent on which tier is sought. They also have used information from Italy's attempt as a similar scheme that made a small impact. On top of all that they highlight the danger of dramatic depreciation for newly bought vehicles and those outside of the eligibility of the scheme. Click this link to read more from a Motor Trader article. Some manufacturers are forging ahead and offering discounts on their cars at the same rate as the lower tier of the grant. The likes of Alfa Romeo, GWM, Hyundai, Leapmotor, MG and Volvo have already made their move. Click this AutoTrader article for more.Another issued raised was that the scheme ignores the used market. The Independent Motor Dealers Association (IMDA) has called for a £1000 grant for used EVs. Click this Motor Trader article link here to read more. FOLLOW UP: EMPLOYEE CAR OWNERSHIP SCHEMES IN CROSSHAIRSThe UK Government first brought up, what it felt, was the unfair practice of Employee Car Ownership Schemes back in the autumn. This is where a member of staff gets a new car, for a short period of time and then moves onto a new car, whilst paying a much reduced contribution that anyone outside of the scheme would. Proposed legislation will mean anyone taking advantage of such a scheme will be taxed as though that was a company car. To read more, click this Motor Trader article link here. VW PROFIT DROPS 29% YEAR ON YEARVW financial results for the first half of 2025 show a drop of 29%, with a big hit in Q2 thanks to the US tariffs. Both the profit and revenue was down on market expectations. If you want to find out more,
FOLLOW UP: UK GOV ANNOUNCES ELECTRIC CAR GRANTFollowing months and months of calling on the UK Government to help private registrations with financial aid, the motor industry has got what it wants. Sort of. The Electric Car Grant has been announced that will be up to £3,750 off the price of a new car that is listed at under £37,000 plus other criteria, including how clean the grid is where the car was built. That last point effectively cuts out Chinese EVs due to their CO2 intensive energy supplies. The grant is active now, with OEMs and dealerships claiming the money back following registration. Added to which, it applies to all buyers and not just private, as was called for. Many within the industry have expressed their disappointment in the scheme, especially how it has ignored the second hand market plus the knock on effect this will have to depreciation. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. To read about the expected impact on Asian built cars, click this EVfleetworld article link here. FOLLOW UP: RENAULT GROUP APPOINT INTERIM CEODuncan Minto has taken over the interim CEO position at Renault Group, following Luca de Meo's exit. Minto was appointed chief financial officer in March. The search for a new CEO continues. Click this Autocar article link here, to read more. CHINA THROTTLES BATTERY MATERIAL EXPORTSChina is once again reminding the world who controls almost all of the supply chain when it comes to electric cars. This time they have, due to being now classed as security relevant, implemented an immediate export restriction on battery material preparation technology, ie. stuff that goes into making battery cathodes used in electric cars and energy storage. No reason has been really given for the sudden move. You can find out more by clicking this electrive article link here. JLR CUTS JOBS AS SALES DROPJLR has announced it is seeking voluntary redundancies from management positions, following the last quarter's drop in sales. The company said it expects no more than 500 roles to go. The reason for reduced sales is being mainly put at the feet of the US tariff mess. Click this Autocar article link here to read more. GEELY BUYS ZEEKERGeely has acquired the final 37.2% of Zeeker shares, that were listed on the New York Stock Exchange only last year. This will cost the Chinese company around $2.4 billion. Suggestions are this has happened due to the geopolitical outlook and adding them to the group enables greater cost savings thanks to increasing the economy of scale benefits when purchasing parts. You can read more by clicking this electrive article link here. UK GOVERNMENT OPENS AV TAXI CONSULTATIONThe UK Government is asking for our feedback on rolling out autonomous taxi and bus services. They are going to do it, be under no illusion, but we might be able to influence just how that looks, in terms of the information these companies must supply. To read more,
FOLLOW UP: MORE OEMS INVESTIGATED FOR DEFEAT DEVICESThe Times is reporting that more brands are now being brought into the Department for Transport (DfT) investigation into the use of defeat devices. This is where they pass the emissions testing regime but are set up to a different output when used on the public roads. Now there are 72 models from 27 brands being looked at. Click this article link to read more. LEVC TO CUT JOBS IN COVENTRYLEVC is to cut 180 jobs at it's Coventry facility due to an increasingly difficult business conditions. The site is already running well below capacity, apparently. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here. CHERY IS COMING TO THE UKChery, the owner of Jaecoo and Omada, is coming to the UK with it's own vehicles later in the year. They chose to announce this with two vehicles at Goodwood's Festival of Speed. To read more, click this Motor Trader article link here. MUNRO TO EXPANDMunro, the Scottish EV maker who focuses on rugged commercial type vehicles, is planning to expand their operation following the appointment of a new chairman, Avinash Rugoobur. Following a period of testing the company expects to fulfil the order book that currently have. You can find out more, by clicking this EV Powered article link here. CAR THEFT DATAThe Loop Agency has investigated car theft data and decided to present it as number sold divided by the number stolen. This then gives a different perspective on the DVLA's information, penalising smaller selling vehicles. If you want to read more, click this Autocar article link here. FRANCE TRIAL IN-ROAD CHARGING SYSTEMOn a short section of the A10 near Paris, in-road electric vehicle charging infrastructure is being installed ahead of a trial due to begin in September for charging your EV as you drive, via inductive charging. To find out more, click this EV Powered article link here. FRAUD CHARGES FOR RUNAWAY CAR DRIVERIn March 2024 the driver of a Jaguar I-Pace called the police to claim his car could not decelerate, this led to an incident that covered the M58, M57 and M62 in Lancashire and Merseyside. After being brought to a stop the police and JLR forensically investigated the car, which has resulted with the individual being charged with two counts of fraud, causing a public nuisance and dangerous driving. Click this EV Powered article for more. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Fiat 500 HybridAfter 17 years, the Fiat 500 petrol...
This week finds Steve Cropley and Matt Prior talking about Bentley's new EXP15 design concept, and to what extent they had Jaguar in mind when they created it. Cropley goes to Silverstone for some of the British Grand Prix weekend, Prior drives a Ferrari F80 and Bugatti W16 Mistral, and the pair talk much more besides, including your correspondence. You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. And if you'd be wiling to rate and review the Pod, we'd appreciate it more than you know, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
JUNE 2025 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURESThe Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has published the registration figures for new cars, that took place in June 2025. There is good news, as overall numbers rose, year-on-year. Not only that, but BEVs had a market share of 24.8% as uptake continues. To read more, click this article link from SMMT. MCLAREN CONTINUES TO CHANGE LEADERSHIP TEAMMcLaren has appointed for Ferrari CEO, Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo, as a director. Presumably he is bringing a wealth of knowledge on how to run a successful performance car brand. If you want to find out more, click this EVO article link here. GEELY IS COMING TO THE UKGeely will be launching their own cars in the UK, starting with the EX5 a mid sized SUV. Sales are expected to begin towards the end of 2025. You can read more, by clicking this MotorTrader article link here. RENAULT HIT BY NISSAN STAKERenault Group has reported a €9.5bn loss on their stake in Nissan. This is due to a combination of them reducing their share of the Japanese company and Nissan's share price dropping by nearly 40% over the last year. Click this Financial Times article link to read more. FERRARI LOSE TRADEMARK CASEFerrari claimed that an energy drink logo would cause confusion with consumers as they think they'll be buying a Ferrari energy drink, thanks to the use of prancing horses. A Malaysian High Court has thrown the case out, however. The “Wee Power” logo can continue to be two prancing horse over a ‘W'. Click this link, from Free Malaysia Today, to read more. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Kia EV4Kia has revealed details about the EV4, which is due for sale in the UK in the autumn of 2025. Priced from £34,695, having a 58.3kWh battery pack that gives a max range of 273 miles as a hatch. There will be a saloon option too. For £37,695, you get a 81.4kWh battery pack that has a max range of 388 miles. Click this Autocar article link, to read more. Kia SportageKia are updating their most popular model, the Sportage. Externally the looks will now be in line with other refreshed models. Click this Autocar article link here, to find out more including prices. Stellantis recallStellantis has issued a recall on their 1.5 BlueHDi diesel engine, built between 2017 and 2023, due to potential camshaft chain issues. Click this Bermuda Broadcast News article link for more....
UK CAR PRODUCTION DROPS AGAINUK car production dropped the lowest since 1949, bar the lockdown year of 2020. That is the second record breaking (and not the good type) month on the trot. The US tariff jump is being largely blamed for this. To read more, click this Autocar article link here. NISSAN CONFIRMS UK JOB CUTSNissan has announced that around 250 employees are taking voluntary redundancy in Sunderland, as the car company looks to cut costs. This is all part of the dramatic steps the Japanese company is actioning due to their financial woes. If you wish to read more, click this Top Gear article link here. Adding to the bleak picture Nissan is painting, leaked documents show the company approaching suppliers to request a delay in paying them. The reasoning is claimed to be a freeing up of cash. The request is voluntary, but would be two to three months delay for invoices being paid. You can read more, by clicking this Reuters article link here. LOTUS MAY OR MAY NOT CLOSE UK PRODUCTIONLate last week Autocar was told that Lotus was planning to move production, from the UK, as it explored the possibility of building cars in the US thanks to the tariffs. However, on Monday, the company issued a statement refuting the possibility of shutting down the Hethel factory. The UK Government has pledged to discuss the matter with Lotus to safeguard British jobs. Click this Autocar link here to read more. CAR MAKERS GO COLD ON APPLE CARPLAY ULTRASome of the companies that had agreed to work with Apple and integrate Apple CarPlay Ultra into their vehicles, are now stepping back from those commitments. Regular CarPlay will still be available but allowing access to data that enables the display on the driver's binnacle was too much for them. To learn more, click this MacRumours article link here. GM CLASS ACTION TO BE SPLIT UPGeneral Motors won a ruling that will cause the class action against them, regarding defective transmissions, is to be split up into smaller cases due to the wide variety of vehicles involved. The case is not going away and it is only a reprieve as this will be sent back to the regional judge to decide which owners will be clumped together. If you want to read more, click this Reuters article link here. INTEL RETREATS FROM THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTORIntel is closing down its automotive business and laying off the majority of people who worked on it. Intel is having to restructure due to business competition and struggles.
FOLLOW UP: US UK TRADE DEAL IS ACTUALLY REALFollowing our confusion, last week, on what had actually been signed, it appears that the US and UK have indeed signed an actual, real trade deal. This means that for up to 100,000 cars exported to the US, there will only be an additional 10% tariff added, instead of 25%. Click this Autocar article link here, to read more. NO RETURN TO 30MPH LIMIT IN DENBIGHSHIREOne county in Wales has canvassed local residents to see if any of the roads that have been changed from 30 to 20mph limit, should be changed back to the original speed. Only people outside of specific areas, travelling through, have asked for a return to the higher speed and have not been considered. As a result, no roads are going back. You can read more, by clicking this BBC News article link here. DEALER TO PAY FOR INFOTAINMENT REPLACEMENT SHOCKA ruling by the Motor Ombudsman has stated that a dealer must pay for the full replacement costs of a broken infotainment system as it was deemed unsatisfactory quality. This was all under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The shock is that the dealer is being held responsible and not the manufacturer, however, the contract is with the dealer and customer, not the customer and manufacturer. If you want to learn more, click this lawgistics article link, here. NEW STELLANTIS PARTS DISTRIBUTION HUB IN THE UKEllesmere Port is the location of the new Stellantis parts distribution hub, which has just opened. This site will feed 19 regional parts hubs across the country and Ireland. To find out more, click this Autocar article link here. AMAZON AND STELLANTIS SOFTWARE COLLABORATION ENDSStellantis and Amazon have shelved the software collaboration that was first announced in January 2022 and meant to be behind the SmartCockpit system. If you wish to learn more, click this Yahoo Finance article link here. OLD NISSAN LEAF BATTERIES GET SECOND LIFE IN ROMERome Airport is using old Nissan Leaf batteries as part of a system that reduces the pull on the electrical energy network, making them more self contained. Nissan predicts the batteries will have a life of at least seven years. Click this EV Powered article to learn more. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - VW Golf GTI Edition 50Volkswagen are getting ahead of the game, with announcing how they will celebrate the Golf GTI's 50th anniversary. There will be a special edition, with 321bhp, giving a 0-62mph of 5.5 seconds an a limited top speed of 168mph. There is also some fettling to the chassis and suspension set ups to help deliver improved driving dynamics. Prices are expected to start around £45,000.