Why are we friends - 13 August 2024

Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: CHINA SAYS EU TARIFFS ON EVS BREAK WTO RULES

China has said the tariffs imposed by the EU on Chinese made electric cars break the World Trade Organisation’s rules. On top of which the claim is the findings from the initial report and ruling are factually incorrect too. There is no confirmation that they have lodged legal proceedings with the WTO yet, but they state they reserve the right to do so. Click this Reuters article link to read more.

JLR INCREASES SPENDING DUE TO EV TRANSITION ISSUES

JLR has stated that it is increasing its five year investment plan spending by another £3 billion, as the transition to an EV market is not happening as quickly as many would like. They feel they are having to develop ICE and hybrid platforms alongside the electric only, as a result. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here.

On top of that news, Jaguar announced it will reveal its EV concept in December with no cars being delivered before 2026. To read more on that, click this Autocar link here.

LAMBORGHINI POSTS BEST HALF-YEAR RESULTS

Lamborghini delivered 5558 vehicles, resulting in a 14.1% increase in profits of £387 million. This is helped by an increase of 28.2% of car prices. At this current rate they will deliver more cars than they did in their record breaking year, 2023. You can read more about this, by clicking here for an Autocar link.

VW TO CONCENTRATE ON COST CUTTING

Volkswagen Group has announced that it will be pushing their cost cutting program in the second half of the year as it looks to increase margins. CARIAD is one focus, according to CEO Blume. Constraining production would also be further enacted. Click this Reuters article link to read more.

PROPOSED EU BATTERY REGULATION CHANGES CAUSE ANGER

The German car industry is up in arms about proposed changes to the EV battery regulations, for 2027. The idea is to grade a battery on a country’s energy production mix, which will impact Germany that are more carbon intensive after shutting all their nuclear plants. France, is in favour of the rule change, unsurprisingly when one looks at their energy production mix. To find out more, click this electrive article link here.

CHINESE EV MAKER HIPHI FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY

To manage to go bankrupt, as a Chinese EV maker with plans to export across the globe, considering the amount of assistance the Government will give its home grown companies, takes quite the effort, but HiPhi have managed it. If you wish to learn more, click this Autocar article link here.

FORD WORKERS TO GO ON STRIKE OVER CHANGES TO PAY

The Unite union is claiming that Ford want to change the pay conditions of some workers to be only performance related. On top of that they state that a reduction in sickness payment is being proposed. 1200 workers plus 100 managerial staff are due to take industrial action as a result. Click this Autocar article link to learn more.

ANDROID AUTOMOTIVE INFOTAINMENT CAN BE EASILY HACKED

During DefCon, the annual cyber security researchers conference in Las Vegas, one speaker explained how easy it was to hack the infotainment system of cars utilising the Android Automotive OS. As we have said on the show many times, consumer technology has no place in a safety critical system. If you wish to learn more, click this link from Cybernews.

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NEW NEW CAR NEWS -

VW Golf R

Audi has unveiled the A6 fastback and estate. As the numbering is even this is an EV. With a range of up to 466 miles, it beats rival cars from BMW and Mercedes. The Avant is the best looking version, but that cuts the maximum potential range by 19 miles. Expected to cost similar to rivals, it should start around the £68,000. To read more, click this Autocar article link here.

Ineos Arcane Works

Ineos has realised there isn’t the market they anticipated in the ‘hose down the interior’ niche and have announced a personalisation division, called Arcane Works. They will tweak aspects of their cars to their customer’s hearts content, which the company hopes will bring in more profits. You can read more, by clicking this Autocar article link to learn more.

Fiat adds integrated charger cable

Fiat is adding a fitted 7kW capable charging cable to the Grande Panda. They believe this will help owners and also avoid the faff of using slower chargers where you need to bring your own cable. Click this Autocar link to read more.

Peugeot 508 axed

Peugeot is removing the 508 from sale in the UK, at the end of the year. Blame is being put on the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate as well as poor sales. This is a shame as the 508 is one of the few good looking saloons and estates on offer to buyers. If you want to read more about this, click the Autocar link here.

Maserati Quattroporte and Levante removed from sale

Maserati are culling their delicious sounding V8 which also means the Quattroporte and Levante will cease to be in the model line up. They will be going with their V6 and electrified products now. Should you wish to read more, click this link here thanks to Autocar.

LUNCHTIME READ: THIS TOYOTA MEGA CRUISER IS YOUR TICKET TO MIDDLE EARTH

Hagerty explains what the Toyota Mega Cruiser is and has an example specifically discussed in this linked article, click here to read more. To be clear, to all who play the Alan Drinking Game, this is not part of the rules as he was forced to talk about it, although we could make a strong case for his comment about the engine meaning all good will was used up, you decide.

LIST OF THE WEEK: THE WEIRD & WONDERFUL DELIGHTS OF THE ISLE OF MAN MOTOR MUSEUM

Autocar have a cracking slideshow for us all to run through, showing us some of the special cars the Isle of Man Motor Museum has in it’s collection. Do you agree with the choices made? What would you select? Do let us know after checking this link to see your options.

AND FINALLY: HIDDEN DESTINATIONS FOR HOLIDAY FUN

Jeep and Ordnance Survey have teamed up to give us all 100 hidden destinations that are at the end of a good driving route for those wanting some family holiday fun. Click this Motoring Research article link for more.