Bounce Back - 25 April 2022

Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: FRANCE ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR GHOSN

Authorities in France have issued an international arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn, in connection with £12.6 million payments made to Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, in Oman. The claim is money was funnelled illegally to the company which Ghosn took advantage of to use personally. There are another four other individuals also implicated. To learn more, in yet another twist of this tale, click here for the Autocar article.

UK GOVERNEMENT MAKES AMENDMENTS TO HIGHWAY CODE

The Government has announced changes to the Highway Code, readying it for when we have self driving technology on the public roads. For cars that are classified, by the Minister for Transport, as self driving and in that mode, we will be able to have our “eyes-off” the road. Currently there are no vehicles on the Minister’s list. To read an accurate report on all this, click The Register’s link here. To read the Government’s own release, click here. For The Register’s article on AI and ML, click here.

RIMAC HAS NEW INVESTOR

The owner of Morgan, Investindustrial, has joined Porsche and Hyundai by investing in Rimac. They are pumping €120 million into the company, as they continue to pursue those moving towards the electrified motoring future. Click here for more information via an Autocar article.

GOVERNMENT TO INTRODUCE CHARGING RELIABILITY LAW

The UK Government is set to introduce a new law, that will require rapid chargers to work as intended 99% of the time. This is all part of their strategy for creating a ‘world leading’ charging infrastructure. They also promise to have 300,000 charge points across the country by 2030, but no indication they are mandated. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

GRIDSERVE OPENS NORWICH CHARGING FORECOURT

Gridserve has opened a new forecourt in Norwich, which is run on 100% renewable energy. There are 36 charging points, with 22 able to run up to 350kW. East Anglia is quite poorly serviced, currently, so this is a welcome addition to the area. For more, click here to read the Move Electric article.

NEW CHARGING POINT RISE 33% IN LAST YEAR

Over the last year there has been a 33% rise in the number of charging points being installed, across the UK. 7,500 were added, taking the total up to 30,290. The Government’s report also highlighted the disparity in spread of devices, with London being much better served than most other areas. Northern Ireland is particularly badly covered. Move Electric have more on this, just click this link here to read it.

LANCASHIRE RESURFACING ROADS WITH RECYCLED TYRES

A trial by Lancashire County Council is underway, to test the viability of using recycled tyres as part of the resurfacing material for roads. The main aim is to reduce the carbon footprint of roads, which it is claimed they have in this instance by over 30%. To read more, click the BBC News article here.——————————————————————————-

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WRC: CROATIA RALLY

After the seemingly endless wait for another WRC event (okay, we may have been a tad over dramatic there), we were treated to an amazing few days of rallying. Rovanperä, having led for so long over the three days, lost the lead of the race on the penultimate stage, to Tanak. However, a blistering final Special Stage meant he won by just 4.3 seconds. This was all after being well over a minute ahead of everyone on Friday. Neuville rounded out the podium, even after a big scare towards the end. To read about the event, click the DirtFish article here.

To read DirtFish’s What We Learned article, click here.

MOTORSPORT DATES FOR THE DIARY

Mission Motorsport has announced the 2022 Race of Remembrance, to be held at Anglesey. Click here to learn more. For the Bad Obsession Motorsport video on last year’s event, click here.

The 24hr of Le Mans program has now been released, which you can find by clicking this link here.

NEW NEW CAR NEWS

BMW 7-Series -

The latest version of the flagship car of the range has been revealed by BMW. Thanks to feedback from the US and China, the biggest markets for this car, the looks are more modern and dramatic. Inside you will be able to add a hose of toys and features, including a ‘cinema screen’ for the rear passengers. There will be a host of powertrains, from mild hybrid petrol and diesels, PHEVs and full EV. The i7 will start at £108,305, no figure has been given for the PHEV but the existing models start between £73,305 and £80,405 depending on the variety you go for. For more, including the huge choice of powertrain options and configurations, click here for the Autocar article.

Lexus RZ 450e -

The first bespoke electric Lexus has been revealed, the RZ 450e. The basis will be the Toyota platform, TNGA, which the Toyota bZ4x also utilises. The RZ was one of the 15 models Akio Toyoda had with him as he revealed the new strategy, recently. The e-TNGA platform has two motors, one for the front and one the back, with a split of 150kW and 80kW respectively. This gives a total power output of 309bhp and 320lb ft, resulting in a 0-62 of 5.6 seconds and a speed limited 99 mph. Official range is just over 250 miles and will be chargeable up to 150kW. No prices have yet been announced. For more, click the Move Electric link here.

8 of the best at Salon Price in London -

Motoring Research, well Tim Pitt specifically, was at the Salon Price event last week and has listed the eight best cars there. To see them, click this link here.

Toyota GR86 sells out in 90 minutes -

For more about how quickly the UK allocation of the GR86 sold out, click the PistonHeads link here.

Citroen ends Grand C4 Spacetourer production -

Citroen has announced it will not longer make the Grand C4 Spacetourer, which has been a favourite of many who need the practicality of an MPV but don’t fancy a van derived vehicle. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

Nissan ends Datsun production

Datsun will no longer make cars, Nissan has indicated, following years of slumping sales. For more, click here to read the BBC News article.

LUNCHTIME READ: WHAT WAS THE QUESTION AGAIN?

This week’s Lunchtime Read comes from Nir Kahn, who proposes we should look at original briefs of old cars to help freshen up our thinking today. Click here for his LinkedIn article explaining why we should and what the benefits could be.

LIST OF THE WEEK: FIVE REASONS TO AVOID THE AUTOROUTE ON YOUR NEXT FRENCH ROAD TRIP

Antony Ingram has compiled the list explaining why you should give the French motorways a miss, next time you drive through the country. Having just returned from what looked like a fabulous road trip (we are not jealous at all, nooooo, not us) he is in as good a position to put this suggestion forward as anyone. Click through and read his reasoning, in his Hagerty piece here.

AND FINALLY: REVAMPED MAZADA MUSEUM HAS A NEW WEBSITE

Mazda has revamped their museum, in Hiroshima, as well as the website explaining all about it. Click this link here to get a taster from what you could expect if you get the chance to go visit.