Category: News

The first new electric GMC Hummer EV has arrived in the UK after being specifically imported.

The all-electric pick-up isn’t officially sold in the UK so has to be imported from America, with Clive Sutton being the first dealer to bring the model here.

The huge truck measures two metres in height, 2.34m in width and 5.5m in length – making it almost half a metre wider and longer than a Range Rover. It also packs a massive 200kWh battery (almost twice that of the biggest European-manufactured EVs), which allows for more than 350 miles of range.

Its powertrain also produces almost 1,000bhp, allowing this huge SUV to accelerate from 0-60mph in just 3.3 seconds.

Clive Sutton says demand for the model in the States is ‘sky-high’, with fewer than 1,000 said to have been delivered. American media reports in July suggested that just 12 were being produced per day, despite General Motors – the owner of Hummer – having more than 80,000 orders.

As a result, models are selling for well over the asking price in the US, with many Hummers retailing for around $200,000 (£178,500) – double the initial asking price.

By the time London-based Clive Sutton has bought the truck, shipped it over and registered it, it says the model ‘costs around £320,000’. The firm says it aims to offer a ‘manufacturer-style’ experience for customers, with the Hummer coming with a two-year, 50,000-mile warranty,

Founder and CEO Clive Sutton said: “As soon as the GMC Hummer EV was announced, our customers have been desperate to see the model in the UK.

“Now that we have imported the first one, we anticipate orders outstripping supply as buyers clamour to be among the first in Europe to own this electric supertruck.”

Clive Sutton is now accepting further orders for 2023.

A third of all local B and C roads in England are in need of repair, new figures show.

Analysis of data from the Department for Transport by the AA shows that Derbyshire Council has the worst B and C roads, with a quarter of them in need of repair, while a fifth of local roads in Southend-on-Sea should be ‘considered for repair’.

Unclassified roads – which are local roads intended for local traffic – make up a fifth of the roads maintained by councils, but the AA’s findings show that 15 per cent of these are considered ‘Red’ – the worst ranking possible.

Half of the unclassified roads in Hammersmith & Fulham are in need of repair, while more than a third of unclassified roads in Bury and Wolverhampton require resurfacing.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Roads across the country are in an awful state and with winter just around the corner the plague of potholes will only spread.

“Local roads are at great risk of becoming dangerous and need significant investment to make them safe. Smooth roads also encourage people to cycle more which would help reach our Net Zero targets.

“Our local roads cannot take another round of cuts. The Prime Minister and Chancellor should avoid slashing local road investment later this month.”

Department for Transport figures show that there was a slight improvement in the number of local roads categorised as ‘green’ – where no further investigation or work is required – since the year ending March 2021, rising from 64 to 66 per cent.

There was also a slight decrease in the proportion of amber roads – where maintenance may be required soon – from 29 to 28 per cent, while red roads – which should ‘be considered for maintenance – remained at six per cent.

Boycie’s Jaguar E-Type from Only Fools and Horses is set to go under the hammer at auction this month.

Offered by Hampson Auctions, the famous model – which starred in the ‘Go West Young Man’ episode of the hit series – was ‘borrowed’ by the show’s stars Del Boy and Rodney from Boycie for a journey to London’s West End, before being crashed.

Thankfully, the incident was completely staged and the E-Type remained in perfect condition.

First registered in November 1973, the V12-powered Series 3 Roadster is finished in Old English White with a blue leather interior. It’s got period-correct chrome wire wheels, too.

It currently has 80,075 miles on the clock, while the vendor considers it to all be in ‘good’ condition. It has had two owners from new and is said to have led a ‘relatively quiet life’ after its brief stint in the limelight.

It’s accompanied by a whole host of Only Fools and Horses-related memorabilia, including a number of videos, signed photographs and a scale model of the E-Type autographed by both Sir David Jason – who played Del Boy – and John Challis, who starred as Boycie. The underside of the car’s boot lid also carries Boycie’s signature.

The E-Type currently carries a guide price of between £140,000 and £160,000 and is set to go to auction at Hampson Auctions’ final vehicle sale of 2022 on November 29 at Mavericks, Holywell, North Wales.

New data has revealed the UK locations where a car is most and least likely to be stolen, with a huge difference recorded depending on area.

Topping the list for vehicle theft is Romford in East London, according to research from insurance comparison site MoneySupermarket, where 19.87 vehicles were reported stolen per 1,000 insurance enquiries made.

London locations dominated the list of car theft hotspots, with neighbouring Ilford recording 17.52 vehicles stolen per 1,000 enquiries. This was followed by Bromley in South East London (17.00) and Enfield in North London (16.91). Birmingham was the only location outside of London to be named in the top five, with 14.93.

Showing the staggering difference between the likelihood of a vehicle being stolen depending on location, Inverness in the north of Scotland had a car theft rate of just 0.08, followed by Dumfries and Galloway (0.36) and Llandrindod Wells in Wales (0.46).

When looking at regions as a whole, London was the least safe for car owners, with a theft rate of 11.55. Meanwhile Northern Ireland was the safest, with just 1.87 cars stolen per 1,000 enquiries.

Sara Newell, car insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said: “One thing that insurers consider when calculating your premium is your location, and it can impact the cost of your cover.

“Car insurance will help minimise the financial impact of theft, so when your policy is up for renewal compare prices to make sure you’re getting the best deal for your policy – you could save up to £330.”

All data is taken from the 16.04m car insurance enquiries made on MoneySupermarket between September 2021 and August 2022.

Abarth has used facial recognition technology to ‘better understand the emotions’ of the driver and passengers in its cars.

Working alongside Loughborough University, the performance car brand carried out the experiment with its F595, 595 Essesse and 595 Competizione models. Participants were put through a number of driving challenges at Mallory Park, Leicestershire, including hot laps and precision driving tasks.

The results showed that the ‘most prominent’ emotion experienced during the test was happiness, both by driver and passenger.

However, when participants were taken around the circuit by professional drivers who could push the car to its limits, participants experienced short bursts of fear and shock, as well as happiness as before.

The facial recognition technology was used in conjunction with heart rate sensors which allowed the test’s organisers to accurately detect a variety of emotions in those included in the study.

Dr Dale Esliger at Loughborough University, who led the trial, said: “The constellation of biometric equipment that we used allowed us to accurately detect an array of emotions that were experienced when driver’s and passenger’s get into an Abarth, while detecting the most prominent emotion during the respective driving activities.

“Research within this remit is limited, however, I suspect it will be an area within the automotive industry that will continue to be explored, as manufacturers strive to improve the driving experiences of their cars.”

This recent test follows on from another study by Abarth and Loughborough University which found that driving on a circuit had a more positive impact on a person’s mood than a visit to the gym. It found that people were 20 per cent happier when taking on a precision driving circuit when compared with a gym workout consisting of cardio and weights sessions.

The last Ford Escort RS Cosworth ever made is going under the hammer at auction.

Offered by online auction platform Collecting Cars, this particular RS Cosworth was owned for the last 24 years by Dieter Hahne, former manager of Ford’s Special Vehicle Engineering department. Hahne was the driving force behind the development of the famous RS Cosworth.

When series production of the Cosworth ended in January 1996 at the Karmann factory in Rheine, Germany, Ford still had enough parts left for two more vehicles. The pair were constructed, with this example being the second in line and the last one ever made by Karmann. The penultimate car was made for Wilhelm Karmann Jr., the then-chairman of the firm.

For its first two years, the Escort RS Cosworth was used by a Karmann project manager as a company vehicle, before Hahne acquired it in 1998. He then had it formally registered – it has been driven on trade plates previously – through means of Single Type Approval.

After 24 years, Hahne decided it was finally time to auction the car off for someone else to enjoy.

Finished in the original Ford colour of Auralis Blue, the RS Cosworth has a black leather interior with Recaro seats. It comes complete with original 16-inch alloy wheels with Continental SportContact2 tyres. It also has a modified 94 model-year Escort bonnet and grille – an original item – which was fitted because the ‘91 model-year bonnet was no longer available.

Given a recent oil service, the RS Cosworth has also received a new clutch and two ignition coils in the last few years. It also comes with a ‘comprehensive’ service history from August 1998 right the way to the present day.

The auction is now live and will come to a close on the evening of Monday November 7.

A Welsh police force has spent almost £40,000 on four tuk-tuks which it claims will help officers fight crime.

Gwent Police revealed this month that it was rolling out the three-wheeled vehicles to patrol parks and other public spaces in Newport and Abergavenny in south-east Wales.

The rickshaw-style cars, known for their use as taxis primarily in Asian countries, will be deployed as “safe spaces” where people can report incidents and seek help if they are feeling unsafe.

The tuk-tuks were bought for £9,936 each, or a total of £39,744, according to a BBC Wales Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

A previous figure obtained through an FOI priced them at £16,974 each, just under £70,000 in total, but the force said that amount was incorrect.

The fleet was paid for by the Home Office from their Safer Streets programme, a fund aimed at tackling specific safety and crime prevention issues.

Officers and some Newport City Council employees will be able to drive the tuk-tuks in the day and night.

Their speed has been limited to 55 kilometres per hour, or just under 35 miles per hour.

Chief Inspector Damian Sowrey said members of the public have had the opportunity to see the tuk-tuks and the feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive”.

“They were on show at our Behind the Badge day, giving local residents the opportunity to see them up close and to hear more about how they will be used,” Mr Sowrey said.

“The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with parents telling officers that they would feel safer knowing that there was support for young people out at night, and from women who could think of an occasion when the tuk-tuk would have been a welcome sight.”

Mahindra Electric, which provided the “e-autos”, announced their involvement in the initiative on Twitter, writing: “Autos have been used as public transportation but Gwent police has different plans for them.

“We’re proud to be a part of such a noble initiative.”

There has been some criticism of the fleet online, with one user saying it will turn the force into a “laughing stock”.

Others suggested the vehicles could be easily pushed over, or stolen and set alight by criminals.

One of the UK’s biggest EV charging providers has announced a reduction to its prices in response to the ongoing-cost-of-living crisis.

Osprey Charging says it will be cutting its prices to 79p per kilowatt hour (kWh) thanks to help from the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

The change will come into effect on November 1, after the firm was previously forced to up prices up to a maximum of £1 per kWh due to the rising cost of energy.

Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging said: “The team at Osprey has been working diligently throughout October with our energy supplier to get clarity on the government support to reduce the price burden on EV drivers.

“We have now achieved this reduction and are fulfilling the promise we made last month and passing on a saving to our customers immediately.

“We would like to thank all of our customers for their patience during these difficult times and understand that if drivers are to make the switch to electric, they need cheap, reliable charging points all over the UK.

“Our focus continues to be on building an EV charging infrastructure for the future that is accessible and safe for all.

“Over the next two years we will invest over £50m expanding our nation-wide public charging network, establishing the much-needed national infrastructure that all drivers can trust and rely on.”

The price that EV drivers pay at the charger comprises several aspects including the cost of electricity, the cost of installing infrastructure and the operation and maintenance of the charging network. There is also a 20 per cent VAT applied to public charging.

In addition, energy suppliers add on non-commodity costs, their own running costs and margin on top of wholesale electricity, to determine the price that businesses like Osprey pay.

The Tesla Model Y has become Europe’s best-selling new car for the very first time as EV sales continue to soar across the continent.

The luxury model shifted 29,367 units in the ninth month of the year, placing it well clear of the second-placed Peugeot 208 which sold just 19,601.

The incredible performance represents a 227 per cent rise for the Model Y with the SUV accounting for close to three in every 100 new cars registered in Europe last month.

It was a strong month for electrified models across the board, with the likes of the Tesla Model 3, Volkswagen ID.4 and the Fiat 500 Electric also seeing huge hikes.

Overall there were 160,869 BEVs registered in September with volume increasing by 15 per cent. They accounted for 15.6 per cent of all registrations – the second-largest monthly market share after December 2021.

Excluding Tesla, MG was among the top 10 brands with the highest percentage of BEVs as part of total registrations at 42 per cent. Renault followed with 18 per cent.

There was also increased demand for plug-in hybrids – of which the Ford Kuga was the most popular with 5,049 registrations, followed by the Kia Niro and Kia Sportage.

The volume of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles increased by seven per cent compared to September 2021with 87,712 registered units.

The data was collected by automotive market researchers Jato Dynamics, which put the increased market share for EVs down to falling production figures elsewhere.

Felipe Munoz, a global analyst with the company, said: “The market lost one million units per quarter over the last three years.

“While a catastrophe in terms of volume relative to production capacity, the majority of OEMs have now properly adapted to this new reality.”

More than 900,000 drivers risk a £1,000 fine after failing to renew photocard licences which expired in the past year, an investigation has found.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) figures obtained by the PA news agency following a Freedom of Information request, show 926,000 people entitled to drive in Britain held cards on September 3 which became out of date in the 12 months to the end of August.

That represents 2% of all drivers.

A small proportion of the 926,000 are likely to have stopped driving without notifying the DVLA.

Some 2.5 million drivers renewed their photocard after it had expired or within 56 days of the expiry date in the past year.

Driving entitlement normally remains until someone reaches 70, after which they must renew their licence every three years to stay on the road.

But Photocards must be renewed every 10 years to ensure the image is a true likeness of the driver.

Expiry dates are displayed in section 4b on the front of cards.

Failing to return an expired licence to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and can be punished with a fine of up to £1,000.

The DVLA says it writes to people 56 days before their licence ends to remind them to renew, but many drivers miss the letters as they do not update the agency when their address changes.

Renewing late does not lead to a fine being issued.

If a licence expires while the DVLA is processing a renewal application, the person can continue to drive as long as they meet criteria such as following the rules of their previous licence.

After a photocard is surrendered, someone who drives without renewing their licence could be prosecuted for driving otherwise in accordance with a licence.

Philip Gomm of the RAC Foundation said: “There are good reasons to keep licences up to date, beyond the basic legal requirement.

“They are also a widely accepted form of ID and will certainly be required if you are ever stopped by police.

“Renewal also provides an opportunity for people to assess whether they are still fit to drive, and we think there is an argument for linking a compulsory eye test to the process to make sure we all remain safe on the road, though Government should help keep costs as low as possible for motorists.

“When you do renew beware of private web sites which offer to help with the application but charge an extra fee for doing so.”

The DVLA advises people to renew on its official website as it is the quickest and cheapest method.

Applications cost £14 and are usually processed within five days.

Third party websites charge additional fees.

Postal renewals cost £17, while doing it at a Post Office has a £21.50 fee.

A DVLA spokeswoman said: “We encourage customers to use GOV.UK as applying online is the quickest and cheapest way to renew their photocard driving licence.

“If you stop driving altogether, you should inform DVLA and return your licence rather keeping it as a form of out of date photo ID.”