Ghosn Watch It - 20 July 2021

Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: VW APPEALS DUTCH CLASS-ACTION RULING

Volkswagen has appealed a Dutch court ruling that gave compensation to owners of new and second-hand VW Group cars that were fitted with defeat device software. VW is adamant that the owners have suffered no financial loss in owning a car judged to have been fitted with the naughty software. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here.

FOLLOW UP: GHOSN ESCAPE TEAM SENTENCED IN JAPAN

Father and son, Michael and Phillip Taylor, have been sentenced by a Japanese court to two years and one year eight months respectively. They had previously admitted their guilt and expressed their regret in their actions. To read more, click here for the BBC News article.

MCLAREN RECEIVES CASH INJECTION

McLaren has announced that it has received an injection of £550 million from current and new investors, which will be mainly used to push their electrification plans forward. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

STELLANTIS ANNOUNCED AGENCY SHIFT TO DEALERSHIPS

Stellantis announced a “consultation”, which seems to be stretching definitions, by informing their franchise dealerships that it will be moving to an ‘agency-style’ retail model. The existing dealerships will be categorised A, B or C, with A remaining, B having to have a long chat with them and C being booted out. Only time will tell if they go down a big franchise or smaller, more independent, dealership route. To read more, click this link here from AM Online.

PARIS MOTOR SHOW RETURNS IN 2022

The Paris Motor Show will return in 2022, with new partner Equip Auto, the trade equivalent, after a four year absence. The question will be how many manufacturers turn up. To find out more, click the Autocar link here.

GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS TO REASSURE MOTORISTS

Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, has moved to reassure motorists that the Government is not anti-car or demonising drivers. However, they want us to use transport that does not harm the environment or people’s health. Added to this, classic car owners were told that they will be able to use their vehicles for years to come, with no plans to ban them from the road. To read more, click firstly here for the YesAuto article and then click here for the second article which is from Hagerty.

EU PROPOSED BAN ON ALL NON ZERO-EMISSION CARS FROM 2035

A proposal has been put forward for the EU to ban all cars and vans that are not zero emission from 2035. This will, for the first time, also remove the exemption that small volume manufactures receive until that point. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

POLICE NOW INSTANTLY ACCESS DVLA PHOTO RECORDS

After a trial of nearly two years, the Police and DVLA are working together to allow road-side stops to become more efficient by access to the photo driving license records instantly. This allows confirmation of identification much quicker than previously. To find out more, click the link here for the Motoring Research article.

PARISIANS INCENSED OVER A LIMIT THEY CAN’T REACH

Apparently, the news that there will be more roads limited in speed to 19mph, has not been well received by Parisians. The average speed is 9mph, so this sounds more like a target to reach rather than their freedoms being restrained. To read more, click here for the Motoring Research link.

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WRC: RALLY ESTONIA

Last weekend saw Rally Estonia take place, with Rovanperä becoming the youngest to ever win a WRC event. Breen and Neuville were second and third. Ogier struggled but stayed consistent, bringing the car home in fourth, with Evans in fifth. To find out more about the event, click the DirtFish article here. For the ‘What We Learned’ article from DirtFish, click the link here.

Neuville has also been slapped with suspended ban, running for the rest of the season, for exceeding the speed limit of a public road, by more than twice the legal limit. To find out more about that, click the DirtFish article here.

NEW NEW CAR NEWS

Vauxhall Astra

Vauxhall was released images of the 8th generation Astra. The design, particularly at the front, continues the design language already deployed on the Grandland. The interior looks a big improvement on the existing. Engines will be a mix of petrol, diesel and hybrids. Prices are expected to start around £22,000, moving past £30,000 for PHEV models. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

Lotus Emira

Goodwood was the venue for the World debut of the Lotus Emira. This is a car aimed at the Alpine A110 and Porsche 718 Cayman. After the First Edition models run out, with a price range of £60-80,000, the expected starting price will be just under £60k. There will be two engine choices, Toyota’s V6, giving around 400bhp, and AMG’s 4-cylinder engine from the A45. We can expect the chassis and handling to be top notch, but customers will have to wait until spring 2022 to find out for sure. To read more, click the EVO article here.

Wells Vertige

A new British sports car was revealed, the Wells Vertige, costing around £45,000, but majoring on lightness. Expected to only weigh around 815kg, with a design that harks back to the 1960s in some angles. The car is also not very big, slightly narrower but a touch longer than a MX-5. To read more, click the Hagerty article here.

LUNCHTIME READ: DAWN PATROL - BEDFORDSHIRE AND CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Antony Ingram has written up a Dawn Patrol route which he recommends you try for flowing roads and great scenery. This is also an inspiring piece, which may make you consider organising your own early morning drive, particularly whist the weather is so good. To read more, click the Hagerty article here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL - 9 SMALL CARS THAT GAVE US LUXURY

Another Hagerty article, this time our List of the Week showing examples of small yet luxurious cars. We can get on board with that concept! To run through the list yourself, click the link here, then tell us your choice!

AND FINALLY: DON’T SAY IT WITH FLOWERS TO AN AV

Philip Koopman shared a link that explained how three years of testing was derailed, in Vienna, when an AV bus was foiled by daisies growing up through a crack in the road. To find out more, click the link here.