Just Stare At Me - 1 March 2022

Motoring Podcast - News Show

KIA WINS CAR OF THE YEAR AWARD

The KIA EV6 has won the prestigious Car of the Year award, which was announced in Geneva but not whilst the motor show was on due to changes with the event. The EV6 is the first KIA to win and it fought off the Renault MeganeE-Tech Electric and the Hyundai IONIQ third. For more on this story, click the Autocar article here.

STELLANTIS EXCEEDS FINANCIAL EXPECTATIONS

Stellantis announced their financial results, for 2021, which exceeded expectations. Their nett profit, operating income and nett revenues far outpaced 2020, which is to be hoped and expected. All of which makes the announcement that they expect their suppliers to shoulder a bigger slice of the costs for EV tech rather hard to swallow. To read about this, click here for the Autocar article.

ASTON MARTIN NARROWS LOSSES

In 2020 Aston Martin loses were £466 million, during 2021 they reduced that figure to £213.8 million. Added to which their revenue was up 79% to £1.1 billion. Aston is hopeful they will deliver between 75 and 90 Valkyries to customers in 2022. The plan is to return to an operating profit in 2022 as well. For more on this, click the YesAuto story here.

RENEWED PORSCHE IPO INTEREST FROM VW GROUP

There is renewed talk of a Porsche IPO, with the VW Group to be in ‘advanced discussions’ regarding the shape this would take. Some or even many, have questioned why this has not happened before. Some have priced Porsche value at €85 billion, which the VW Group could do with as they push further into EV technology. More on this story can be found by clicking here for the YesAuto article.

MORE 50MPH STRETCHES IN WALES

In an effort to tackle pollution, in South Wales, two more sections of roads are being considered for a speed limit of 50mph. This is one option for the next stage in improving the air quality of the region. A public consultation will be undertaken when the full options have been explored. To learn more, click the BBC News article here.

SHEFFIELD CHOSEN FOR BATTERY TECH R&D AND MANUFACTURING

The Ultimate Battery Company (UBC) has picked Sheffield to locate their new research and development and manufacturing facility. They are working on advanced battery technology that will help reduce costs, improve charging capacity and quicker charging times. For further on this story, click the ZapMap article here.

HOME EV CHARGING GRANT RULES CHANGING

The Government will be changing the rules over grants for the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS). If you live in a detached, semi-detached, terraced or bungalow house you will no longer be eligible for the £350 grant. Rental houses and flats however, will be, if they can prove dedicated off-street parking. Click this CAR Magazine article to find out more.

CONSULTATION ON GREEN LANE USAGE

Thanks to Twitter user @DiamondHell, the consultation from the Government over the usage of green lanes was brought to our attention. If you use green lanes with a motor vehicle you need to run through the questionnaire linked below or there is the risk of more such spaces being lost due to not being deemed suitable. Click here for the consultation. ——————————————————————————-

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WRC: RALLY SWEDEN

The WRC rolled into Sweden over the weekend for another thrills filled event. As is the norm for WRC, there was much drama and unexpected action. For the third time in his career, Rovanperä won with a very composed and faultless drive. He was pushed until Sunday morning by Evans who had to retire with a hybrid tech issue. This meant that Neuville dragged the Hyundai into second, which is an amazing feat after their showing at Monte Carlo. Esapekka Lappi, on his return to the main event after Mexico last year, rounded out the top and third step for Toyota. It was a forgettable race if you were a fan of M-Sport, with Breen struggling. Tanak was another DNF for Hyundai and Solberg bringing his car home in sixth.

To learn more about the rally, click the DirtFish article here.

For the ‘What We Learned’ article from DirtFish, click here.

And to find out how Colin Clark scored the drivers, click the link here.

LUNCHTIME READ: IS PARIS CAR BAN A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?

Jim Holder has written an interesting article about Paris’s plans to deal with congestion and help clean up their air. However, he has also asked if this is something that others will adopt and use in their cities, such as in the UK. We have already seen some implementations of CAZ that have been less well thought out than in other locations. This is an important topic and we all need to be thinking and discussing it or we’ll get lumped with systems that make everyone’s lives harder. To read the Autocar piece, click here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: 15 QUIRKY JAPANESE CARS OF THE 1990s

In Alan’s absence we will discuss quirky Japanese cars, which would most probably be his specialist topic if he went on Mastermind. Run through the list by clicking the Classic & Sports Car link here, to select your choice. Don’t forget to let the chaps know which you’d rather have.

AND FINALLY: HAGERTY FRONT WHEEL DRIVE QUIZ

How well do you know your front wheel drive info? Well, put yourself to the test with the Hagerty quiz, written by the fiendish quizmaster Antony Ingram. No pressure, but by pure fluke Andrew did rather well this time! Click here for you to have a stab at the questions.