I’m often asked which is better, purchasing a new or used car on a PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) or simply buying the car outright? Alas the answer isn’t straightforward as it really depends on the individual and their financial preferences. The age old “if you can’t afford it, don’t buy it” has been cast aside as automakers have either created inhouse finance departments or aligned themselves with…
At the Shanghai Motor show in April, Porsche unveiled their latest SUV named, somewhat unimaginatively, the Cayenne Coupe. One may find themselves asking if the world really needs another SUV but if you are a firm proponent of this style then the latest Porsche with its eye-catching design could be right up your strasse. For context, this is the third SUV in the German sports car’s line-up…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-10/audi-recalls-first-electric-vehicle-in-u-s-on-battery-fire-risk The above Bloomberg link points to a story showing Audi's voluntary recall of all its new E-Tron SUV's sold in the US (1644 total) due to the risk of battery fire. It's important to note that NO fires have been reported. The recall came about after five cases of owners flagged a battery fault light that appeared on their dashboards. Audi has since declared that the…
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/may/30/electric-vehicle-drivers-at-risk-by-charging-from-home-mains-supply The link to the Guardian article highlights a critical issue concerning those EV owners who charge at home. No, it doesn't talk about the risk of your battery powered EV unexpectedly catching fire, but does discuss the heightened risk of a domestic electrical fire if proper care isn't taken while charging your EV at home. The most alarming feature of this story is the statistic that…
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/may/09/dyson-patents-reveal-plans-for-an-electric-car-with-off-road-potential The above link from the Guardian points to an article that shows plans for Dyson and their foray into the world of EVs. It's no secret that Dyson were planning on launching an EV, but the company has done a good job of ensuring all information regarding any Dyson-branded EV was to be kept firmly under wraps by employees. The article highlights that founder Sir James…
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/save-dying-sedan-automakers-steal-100000754.html The above link points to a story showing that car manufacturers are launching saloons in all-wheel-drive (AWD) or four-wheel-drive to compete alongside ever-trendy SUVs. I thought I'd share some thoughts on this with you... For context, the rise in popularity of the SUV with their (mostly) AWD of 4WD drivetrains has seen a fall in sales of the humble saloon. In response to this, car manufacturers…
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/audi-s4-now-diesel-car-too Have a read of the link above. Should we not be a little concerned that Volkswagen Audi Group (VAG) continue to push diesels on us in this era of heightened climate change awareness? I understand completely that new diesels run a lot cleaner than those of the past, and I also understand that for certain "applications" diesels are preferred. But until such time as no NOx…
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/china-apos-car-industry-rapidly-100800396.html?bcmt=1 The above link, originally written by Sean O'Grady from the Independent, points to China's growing car industry and their quest to not only compete, but also eclipse, the more established and certainly better known Western and Japanese car manufacturers. How? By joining them! It's a fairly dense read, but the jist of the article is that the car industry is becoming more cut throat and, in…
https://www.theguardian.com/green-light/2019/mar/19/will-i-make-it-out-of-town-common-electric-car-questions-answered The link above from the Guardian features actor and EV enthusiast Robert Llewellyn answer some of the more common concerns associated with EV ownership. (Interesting that the old marketing term "FUD", for fear, uncertainty, doubt, gets used in the title to really hammer home the point that it's wrong to have any concerns whatsoever!) Llewellyn tackles nine of what he considers to be the most common…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48037362 The above link points to a story explaining why our cars occasionally have a layer of red dust on them. I've heard various reasons including jet fuel being "dropped" by aircraft to lighten their loads prior to landing. To me, this did seem like a perfectly plausible explanation as I am indeed just below the flight path of those planes landing at Heathrow. And yet the…