Yes No Maybe - 15 March 2022

Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: EXPANSION OF LONDON ULEZ ANNOUNCED

Following weeks of rumours Sadiq Khan has announced his plans for cutting congestion and improving air quality, by increasing the ULEZ to cover all of London, which appears to deal with only one part of the problem. To learn more about this story, click here for the YesAuto article.

FOLLOW UP: SONY HONDA JV EXPLAINED

Nick Gibbs, in this linked Autocar article, goes into more detail of what the Honda Sony joint venture probably means. Click the link above to better understand what it means and why it might just work.

FORD ANNOUNCES 7 NEW EVS BY 2024

Ford has announced that it will launch seven new EVs by 2024, comprising of three passenger cars and four light commercial vehicles. Ford has previously promised to be EV only for passenger cars by 2030. By teaming up with VW and using their MEB platform Ford says it will be able to fulfil this push. For more on the story, click the MoveElectric article here.

BMW BUYS ALPINA

BMW has bought the rights to Alpina, who undertake some of the most understated and tasteful tuning services out there. The news was met with much worry that BMW will now over expose the brand and thus take away a lot of that which makes it so special. Click here for the Top Gear piece explaining more.

BMW POSTS BEST PROFITS IN HISTORY

By focusing on high end and most profitable models, BMW posted it’s largest nett profit in history, €12.46 billion, which is up 150% on 2019! Having the anti-trust probe dropped by the EU also helped as they had set aside €1 billion specifically for that. More information can be found at this Autocar link here.

BMW RECALLS 1 MILLION VEHICLES OVER FIRE RISK

BMW is recalling 1.03 million vehicles world wide, due to a risk of a short circuit that could cause a fire in the vehicle. Vehicles built between 2006 and 2013 are involved. To learn more, click this Automotive News link here.

VW INVESTS IN NEW EV FACTORY

Volkswagen is investing in a bespoke facility at Wolfsburg, for their Trinity EV flagship model. The cost is expected to be in the region of €2 billion. For more on this story, click here for the Autocar article.

ASTON MARTIN TO CO-DEVELOP HIGH PERFORMANCE BATTERIES

Britishvolt and Aston Martin are teaming up to produce high performance batteries in time for the car companies first EVs in 2025. This follows on from the partnership between Britishvolt and Lotus, that was recently announced. To learn more, click the Autocar link here.

HAGERTY FESTIVAL OF THE UNEXCEPTIONAL DATE ANNOUNCED

Mark your calendar, put reminders in your phones, Hagerty has announced that the Festival of Unexceptional will take place on Saturday 30 July 2022. Click here for the information from Hagerty. ——————————————————————————-

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NEW NEW CAR NEWS

ID Buzz -

Volkswagen has finally revealed a production ready ID Buzz, five years after they first teased us with a concept. The design maintains the retro style so many applauded. There are MPV and van derivatives, with a long wheel base version in 2023. Prices are expected to start around £50,000 for the MPV and £40,000 for the van. More can be read by clicking this Autocar link here.

LUNCHTIME READ: HOW TO DESIGN A CAR (PART ONE) - WHEELS AND TYRES

EVO Magazine has asked Peter Stevens to help explain how to design a car, starting with Part 1, which is all about wheels and tyres. Click the EVO link here to find out more.

LIST OF THE WEEK: EVERYTHING’S BETTER WITH SPOTLIGHTS

Top Gear has produced another cracking Top 9 list, this time about cars with spotlights. Click the link here, to run through the list and see what you think, do you agree with the choice made on the show? Let the chaps know via the usual methods!

AND FINALLY: ROD STEWART FIXES LOCAL POTHOLES

Over the weekend the news broke that Rod Stewart had had enough of the state of his local roads that he was filling in potholes that the council were not getting too. To read more, click the BBC News article here.