It wasn’t long ago that Volvo announced that they were doing to discontinue making Estate cars. At the time, this was considered akin to the “Judas” moment when Bob Dylan performed live on an electric guitar rather than the more traditional acoustic. There’s very little need to delve into the legacy of the Volvo Estate. You don’t have to be that old to have at least one…
Elon Musk is, without question, one of the most consequential figures in modern technology and business. His leadership has propelled Tesla from a niche electric car startup into a global force that has reshaped the automotive industry. Yet questions loom whether Musk's erratic leadership style, controversial public behaviour, and divided focus are actually harming the company he helped build. Is Elon Musk ruining Tesla? The answer, like…
As we navigate finding a suitable insurance policy for my 17yr old daughter and her freshly acquired Driver’s Permit, we’re now confronted with the reality that for many young drivers in the UK passing the driving test is just the first hurdle. Finding affordable car insurance is the real challenge. So why is insurance so expensive for young drivers, and what can be done to make it…
I elected to swerve on reviewing the all-electric VW ID.3 because I was awaiting the release of its bigger, more SUV-like sibling, the ID.4. You won’t be at all surprised to learn that the ID.4 is built on the same platform as the ID.3. These form the underpinnings of VW’s new all-electric architecture, termed “MEB” (I’m not going to tell you what MEB stands for – it’s…
The long-awaited April 12th re-start has finally arrived. In addition to restaurants, pubs, salons and other non-essential shops, we are super excited to see the re-opening of car dealerships. Not only does this mean that we can freely peruse the showrooms (with Covid-safety measures in place, of course) to check out the newest models that boast the latest and greatest features, we’re now able to carry out…
I thought this article from the BBC this morning was quite amusing, particularly as it’s come hot on the heels of the recent announcement that Ford was to discontinue making the Mondeo – a sedan that everyone is familiar with and can trace its roots back to the Cortina with a healthy dose of Sierra for good measure. So what’s a car buyer supposed to do these…
This is an interesting article from the Guardian in so much as it chips away at a thought that I’ve had for a while, namely is the push towards electrification happening too quickly and will national auto makers cope? Japan has clearly established themselves as a formidable automotive superpower with vehicles that boast exemplary build quality matched with good design and performance. By virtue of them being…
This story is interesting in so much as it addresses an elephant in the room – namely how does the UK car industry expect to survive in a post-Brexit world? The CEO of the newly formed Stellantis Group (a $50B merger between FiatChrysler and Peugeot – owners of Vauxhall) announced that he has reservations about the viability of Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port factory which currently manufactures petrol and…
There’s some interesting bits in this Bloomberg article regarding Japan’s older drivers. After a high profile road accident last year involving an 89 year old former senior bureaucrat that resulted in the death of a mother and child, safety features have taken even greater importance amongst the Japanese car manufacturers. As an aside, it was also interesting to read that in the wake of the accident, roughly 350,000 drivers…
Chinese EV maker and NYSE-listed Nio announced to much fanfare the launch of its first battery powered saloon at the company's annual "Nio-Day" event in Chendou this past Saturday. The car is aimed squarely at Tesla's Model S and also hopes to eat some of Mercedes-Benz's S-class and BMW's 7-series lunch, too. The unimaginatively-named ET7 is set to be priced at £50k for the entry-level model with…