Don't Wink - 27 July 2021

Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: MITSUBISHI AFTERSALES DEAL DONE

A deal has now been finalised between The Colt Car Company and IM Group over the future of Mitsubishi aftersales business, resulting in the formation of a new company I.M. MAPS (UK) Ltd which will take the reigns. This is reassuring news for existing Mitsubishi owners.

NISSAN OPENS 400 JOB POSITIONS IN SUNDERLAND

Nissan has announced there will be 400 positions, in the manufacturing team, opening up at Sunderland to help build the new Qashqai and Leaf. This will be a mix of agency and permanent employees. To read more, click here for the BBC News article.

RIVERSIMPLE HITS FUNDING TARGET

Riversimple, the hydrogen car manufacturer, has hit their target of £1.5 million they needed to roll out customer trialling of their cars. Angle investors have pitched in and HMRC has agreed they meet the criteria for tax breaks that is advantageous to investors. To read more, click the Business News Wales article here.

PROBE INTO EV CHARGING

The Competitions and Markets Authority, is the latest to announce they are investigating the UK’s EV charging business. One aim is to make charging as easy as buying diesel or petrol. Another key area of investigation is the near monopoly Ecotricity (now Electric Highway) has with motorway charging facilities. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here.

SHELL TO CHARGE UP WAITROSE

Shell has announced it will be installing 800 charging points at Waitrose supermarkets across the country. This will be a mix of 22kWh and 50kWh. The project is expected to be completed by 2025. To read more, click here for the Autocar article.

TESLA TO OPEN SUPERCHARGER NETWORK TO OTHERS

Musk has announced that Tesla will open up the Supercharger network to non Tesla EVs soon. Whilst this sounds great, there are some expressing scepticism with how many will actually be able to take advantage due to charger set up and connector options. Added to this, some Tesla owners have voiced their anger at what they saw was an exclusive part of being a Tesla owner. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

HIGHWAYS ENGLAND TO REDUCE MOTORWAY SPEEDS FOR NOX

Highways England, working with the Joint Air Quality Unit, will monitor sections of the road network, which if they exceed safe air quality levels, will then be slowed down to reduce emissions. Other aspects, such as traffic management and congestion reduction will be used. However, this is another sticking plaster solution to a problem that requires more than Level 1 thinking. To read more, click here for the Autocar article.

DVLA OLIVE BRANCH TO CLASSIC CAR OWNERS

During an appearance at a select committee, the DVLA Chief Executive Julie Lennard announced the organisation would be willing to meet with representatives of the historic and classic car industry to work on problems that have occurred with delays, inconsistent rule implementation and errors. To read more, click the link to the Historic and Classic Vehicle Alliance press release.

POLICE WARN OF KEYLESS CAR THEFTS

A three percent rise in vehicle crime, mainly due to keyless entry theft, between May and June, has prompted the Police to warn owners to take mitigating steps to prevent becoming victims. However, the industry needs to step up and do something to stop this easily exploited flaw that they have foisted on customers. To read more, click here for the YesAuto article.

MERCEDES ADOPT OPTIONS SUBSCRIPTION MODEL

To get the enhanced rear-wheel steering option of the new EQS, owners will pay a subscription of £420 a year. They are not the only manufacturer to express an interest in this model. However, reaction to this has not been positive. To read more, click the YesAuto article here.

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LUNCHTIME READ: AVERAGE IS THE NEW EPIC

TV’s Paul Cowland has written an excellent article in favour of the unexceptional, explaining why now they are not. To go read this, click here for the Hagerty article.

LIST OF THE WEEK: THE BEST CARS FROM JAPAN

Autocar has put together an interesting list of what it thinks are the best cars from Japan. In Alan’s absence, Andrew makes a bold move prediction of what he would have selected. To run through the options yourself, click the link here. Don’t forget, get in touch with the show to tell us which you would say is the best.

AND FINALLY: LIGHTS FROM CAR PARTS

Philipp Eissner started making lights from parts when he made something personal for his father, this has now morphed into making lamps out of all sorts of car parts. To find out more about these wonderful creations, click the Hagerty link here.