The government’s “mixed messaging” around the transition to electric cars threatens the UK’s prospects of meeting its transport emissions targets for 2050. That’s the verdict of a new report from the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee titled ‘EV Strategy: Rapid Recharge Needed’. The report identified several key areas of confusion for motorists. These were the perception that… Continue reading Mixed messaging and misinformation threatens EV transition
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Audi RS6 GT: £180k super-estate gets race-inspired makeover
Michl explained the motivation behind bringing the concept to showrooms: “We got a lot of feedback from customers that our show cars never touched the road and we were amazed by what the apprenticeship guys did with the RS6 GTO concept. “So it’s not to do with a final vision. It’s really to have something… Continue reading Audi RS6 GT: £180k super-estate gets race-inspired makeover
Hyundai i20
The i20’s predecessors have typically had fascias that seemed simply laid out rather than ‘designed’. It has never been a car to seem at all ‘loaded’ with technology. How quickly things can change. Some early low-spec versions have analogue gauges, but most i20s have a fully digital instrument screen integrated into a flight console-like panel… Continue reading Hyundai i20
Toyota Yaris
Toyota claims to have improved visibility by setting the instrument panel lower and pulling the A-pillars further back relative to the driver. We feel the overall efficacy of these measures is marginal where the view forward is concerned, but the Yaris certainly does feel spacious from within – at least for front-seat occupants, who are… Continue reading Toyota Yaris
Nissan Juke
The quirkiness and sense of fun of the original Juke’s interior design was toned down a little this time around, and it was augmented by a pretty clear effort to add some richer material and technological allure. There’s still plenty of visual character and a little bit of fun factor in evidence, though, and both… Continue reading Nissan Juke
US dealer group Lithia completes Pendragon takeover
US dealer group Lithia has completed its purchase of Pendragon, parent company of the Evans Halshaw and Stratstone brands. This caps a 12-month period in which North American firms have taken over some of the UK’s biggest dealer groups. Its successful bid of £397 million saw off the challenge of a joint bid from US rival Penske and Sweden’s Hedin Group. Lithia… Continue reading US dealer group Lithia completes Pendragon takeover
Smart mobility: how EMQ is paving the way
The city of the future. What does it look like, exactly? Most people probably envisage an immense eco-conscious metropolis, with lush sky gardens, sleek futuristic architecture and seamless sustainable transport. But while the sci-fi buildings and hanging trees might seem a little pie in the sky right now, companies like EMQ are already pioneering advanced… Continue reading Smart mobility: how EMQ is paving the way
Paris votes to triple parking costs for heavy cars
Paris has voted to triple the parking costs of especially heavy cars in a move aimed at countering the rise of SUVs on the French capital’s streets. Petrol, diesel and hybrid cars that weigh more than 1600kg and electric cars that weigh more than 2000 kg will be charged a significantly higher rate for parking. Drivers of such cars will… Continue reading Paris votes to triple parking costs for heavy cars
JLR parts crisis ‘mostly’ resolved as supply improves
JLR boss Adrian Mardell has said the firm has begun to resolve the parts backlog caused by delays at its new logistics hub – but has cautioned that it will take time for dealers to be able to repair all the cars affected. The problems arose when the company formerly known as Jaguar Land Rover downsized its UK… Continue reading JLR parts crisis ‘mostly’ resolved as supply improves
Mini Clubman ends production after 17 years
The Mini Clubman has gone out of production after 17 years as Mini makes way for the introduction of the electric Aceman, its indirect replacement. The Clubman first went on sale in 2007 as an estate-bodied version of the Mini hatchback, complete with a novel vertically split tailgate. It was assembled at the brand’s Plant Oxford facility in Cowley… Continue reading Mini Clubman ends production after 17 years