S T O P That - 15 June 2021

FOLLOW UP: VW REPAID BY EXECUTIVES

Volkswagen has now confirmed the story that former executives of the Group will repay around $351 million as a result of the #dieselgate debacle. This does show we were right to mock the excuses of ‘rogue engineers’ or “software issues’ that were initially used. To read more about this, click here for the Automotive News Europe article.

GRIDSERVE BUYS ECOTRICITY

As ticker tape falls from the sky, EV owners across the country rejoice at the news that Ecotricity has been sold, with Gridserve increasing their 25% stake to full ownership. Ecotricity, ironically, has probably done more to hold back EV adoption in the country than anything else, thanks to the unreliable network across the motorway system. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here.

FERRARI NAMES NEW CEO

Benedetto Vigna has been named the new CEO of Ferrari. He moves from ST Microelectronics to take over the helm. To read more, click here for the Autocar article.

FRANCE CHARGES MANY OVER EMISSIONS

Peugeot is the latest brand to be charged by French authorities over consumer fraud relating to emissions. Renault has been previously charged with test manipulation, Citroën and FCA are also expected to be in trouble. To read more, click the Reuters article here.

PORSCHE INVESTIGATED BY GERMAN CAR AUTHORITY

Porsche, following a voluntary submission of information, is being investigated by the KBA, in Germany, over inconsistent declaration of fuel consumption of their petrol engined cars. Porsche seem to think, if they have incorrectly stated consumption figures it is on less than 1% of their fleet. To read more, click the Yahoo Finance article here.

ASA BANS HYUNDAI ADVERT

The Advertising Standards Agency has banned Hyundai’s hydrogen Nexo adverts from stating ‘its so clean it purifies the air’, as the car does cause emissions in the form of brake and tyre particulates. The chaps wade in on the silliness of the ruling but now expect anyone stating cycling is clean to be equally rebuked in an equally daft manner. To read more, click here for the Motoring Research article.

OXFORD LTN MAP INFO GAFF

Oxford County Council have caused Google Maps and TomTom to show a large number of roads closed to vehicles until March 2022, after uploading information regarding their new Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. There is much mention of ‘glitches’ and the likes, but it would appear to be a ‘user input error’. To read more, click the BBC News article here.

YORK TO USE LIVE TRAFFIC DATA

York City will be using live traffic data and software to help manage the flow of traffic in and around the area. They will warn users of possible problems and control the traffic light sequencing to ensure traffic flows as well as it can. Essentially this is Smart Motorway technology being used in an urban environment and is very clever. To read more, click here for the Motoring Research article.

CINCH OWNER BUYS ROCKINGHAM

Rockingham race complex has been sold for £80 million to the owners of Cinch and WeBuyAnyCar. They will use the facility, after further investment, as a base for storing and preparing vehicles, a training academy and logistics hub. To read more, click the PistonHeads article here.

——————————————————————————-

If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

——————————————————————————-

WRC: 2022 CAR TECH AND WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

WRC Wings has written a fascinating article on the scant information we have available to us, at the moment, about what the capabilities of next year’s cars are likely to be. To read through what is know and what can be surmised, click the link for the article here.

MISSION MOTORSPORT: RACE OF REMEMBRANCE 2021

Mission Motorsport has completed the attempt to break the record for the distance travelled on a single charge, by a Renault Zoe. We here, at the Motoring Podcast, want to congratulate everyone involved for the successful run that not only beat the previous record, but smashed it. To find out more, click here for the Mission Motorsport article.

TOYOTA MURAI HYPERMILES TO 1000KM ON A TANK

Toyota have driven a Murai on the public roads of France for just over 1000 kilometres on a single charge, breaking the previous record. To find out more about this truly impressive feat, click the Toyota press release here.

NEW NEW CAR NEWS

Volkswagen Multivan

VW is replacing the Caravelle, with a new vehicle based on the cost-saving MQB platform, that all new models are sitting on. The Multivan will be longer, wider and sit lower, apparently all in the name of aerodynamics. To find out more, click the YesAuto article here.

Lexus NX

You may be forgiven for questioning, when you see the design, if this is an “all new” NX from Lexus. But it is.
To find out more, click the Lexus press release here.

DESIGNERS MOOD BOARD: COMEBACK FOR LANCIA?

Stellantis appear to be backing up their statement that they have plans for Lancia, as they have appointed Jean-Pierre Ploué, who was the Director of Design for the entire PSA Group before the merger and creation of Stellantis. We, along with many of our listeners will be sitting with fingers, toes and almost everything else crossed that this is a serious attempt to bring Lancia back. To read more, click here for the CarScoops article.

LUNCHTIME READ: GO TO A CAR SHOW - IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH

PetrolBlog has published a fabulous article that recommends going to car shows, not only because you’ll be at a car show, but it will do you good to get a little bit of normality back into your life. To read more, click the link to the article here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: 10 BEST RALLY DRIVERS AND THEIR CARS

Top Gear has produced a list, that will no doubt cause some controversy as it involves drivers and a list. As there is no WRC this week, this should help lessen the pangs of absence pangs. If you need another excuse to read the list, the artwork for each of the cars is exquisite. To find out more, click here for the link.

AND FINALLY: 1/2 MILLION MILES IN A PIUCASSO

Ashley Winston, from Palmdale Motors, has been on a mission, that mission was to take a Citroën Picasso to 500,000 miles. The original owner put 430,000 miles on the clock but Ashley and a host of friends have helped get it up to the magic number. To find out more, click the YouTube link to Our Tim who was there for the final few miles.