Show of Solidarity - 18 February 2020

FOLLOW UP: VW OFFER GERMANY CUSTOMERS $901M

Following the breakdown of talks between Volkswagen and the German Consumer Association, VZBV, they have offered customers compensation of $901 million. VZBV wants to include €50 million in lawyer fees, which VW has turned down. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here.

FOLLOW UP: NISSAN CLAIMS FROM GHOSN

Following the case for unfair dismissal, last week, Nissan has hit back in Japan, with a claim for £70 million in damages. The details of the claim are not known and the amount stated is much less than has been mentioned previously. The game of tit for tat continues. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

GM SHUTS HOLDEN DOWN

General Motors has announced that it is shutting down the Holden brand, and all its assets in Australia and New Zealand. This was the last right-hand drive brand in the ever-shrinking stable of makes within GM. There is no real surprise as Australia is a small market, added to the extra effort of making right-hand drive cars and that PSA owns Opel/Vauxhall. To read more, click the BBC News article here. To view the slideshow Andrew mentioned, click the Autocar link here.

FORD CUTTING FIESTA PRODUCTION

In the wake of falling sales and registrations of Fiestas, across Southern Europe and the UK, Ford is reducing production of the supermini. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here.

TESLA FORREST CLEARANCE ON HOLD

Tesla has been ordered, by a German court, to temporarily halt the clearance of the proposed new gigafactory site, that is ancient woodland. To learn more about the issues, click the BBC News article here.

‘PEANUT-SHAPED’ ROUNDABOUT DELIGHTS THE FRENCH

In the French town of Nozay, a new ‘peanut-shaped’ roundabout has been created on the site of a former junction which the locals claimed was dangerous. Vehicles are now approaching the roundabout much slower and the visibility is much improved. If the number of accidents falls then this could be adopted elsewhere. To read more, click The Connexion article here.

EDF BUYS POD POINT

EDF, the energy supplier, has bought the EV charging company Pod Point, for an undisclosed amount. Pod Point is the third-largest charging company, in the UK, click here for an article by ZapMap showing the major UK players. To read more about this acquisition, click the Autocar article here.

COMPETITION TIME!

We are offering you the chance to win a copy of James Ruppert, he of Bangernomics fame, latest book Demotorized: The 200 Year War on the Motorist. Listen to the show to hear what the question is, then click through this link to send us your answer. Don’t forget to put COMPETITION in the subject line.

The...

FOLLOW UP: VW OFFER GERMANY CUSTOMERS $901M

Following the breakdown of talks between Volkswagen and the German Consumer Association, VZBV, they have offered customers compensation of $901 million. VZBV wants to include €50 million in lawyer fees, which VW has turned down. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here.

FOLLOW UP: NISSAN CLAIMS FROM GHOSN

Following the case for unfair dismissal, last week, Nissan has hit back in Japan, with a claim for £70 million in damages. The details of the claim are not known and the amount stated is much less than has been mentioned previously. The game of tit for tat continues. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

GM SHUTS HOLDEN DOWN

General Motors has announced that it is shutting down the Holden brand, and all its assets in Australia and New Zealand. This was the last right-hand drive brand in the ever-shrinking stable of makes within GM. There is no real surprise as Australia is a small market, added to the extra effort of making right-hand drive cars and that PSA owns Opel/Vauxhall. To read more, click the BBC News article here. To view the slideshow Andrew mentioned, click the Autocar link here.

FORD CUTTING FIESTA PRODUCTION

In the wake of falling sales and registrations of Fiestas, across Southern Europe and the UK, Ford is reducing production of the supermini. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here.

TESLA FORREST CLEARANCE ON HOLD

Tesla has been ordered, by a German court, to temporarily halt the clearance of the proposed new gigafactory site, that is ancient woodland. To learn more about the issues, click the BBC News article here.

‘PEANUT-SHAPED’ ROUNDABOUT DELIGHTS THE FRENCH

In the French town of Nozay, a new ‘peanut-shaped’ roundabout has been created on the site of a former junction which the locals claimed was dangerous. Vehicles are now approaching the roundabout much slower and the visibility is much improved. If the number of accidents falls then this could be adopted elsewhere. To read more, click The Connexion article here.

EDF BUYS POD POINT

EDF, the energy supplier, has bought the EV charging company Pod Point, for an undisclosed amount. Pod Point is the third-largest charging company, in the UK, click here for an article by ZapMap showing the major UK players. To read more about this acquisition, click the Autocar article here.

COMPETITION TIME!

We are offering you the chance to win a copy of James Ruppert, he of Bangernomics fame, latest book Demotorized: The 200 Year War on the Motorist. Listen to the show to hear what the question is, then click through this link to send us your answer. Don’t forget to put COMPETITION in the subject line.

The winner will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday 10 March 2020 episode. Good luck!

PARALLEL POMEROY

Alan attended the Toyota Parallel Pomeroy, run with the help of the VSCC and their marshalls. The weather was “inclement”, and the competition carefully managed to allow for as equal a competition as possible. Alan, braving the conditions, from within his warm and dry car, ended up 13 out of 53. Thank you to everyone who made the event happen and especially to all those who had to stand out in Storm Denis so people could play with their cars!

FORMULA E: MEXICO

The revised race track, with the extra appendage and removed chicanes, helped make for a more exciting race in Mexico. There were no red flags, which is excellent news. Mitch Evans managed to take the lead by the first corner which he never gave up, winning for Panasonic Jaguar Racing. Antonio Felix da Costa was second, with Buemi coming in third. To read more, click the e-365 racing article here.

WRC: RALLY SWEDEN

Elfyn Evans became the first Brit to win the Rally Sweden, having led the event from the first stage right through to the last. Ott Tanak finished second, which is quite remarkable following his horrific accident in Monte Carlo. The 19-year-old Kalle Rovanperä came in third, giving Toyota a first and third. Ogier is still getting to grips with the Yaris. To read more, click the DirtFish article here.

LUNCHTIME READ: THE LESSONS THAT MUST BE LEARNT FROM THE HARRY DUNN TRAGEDY

Matt Prior has written an excellent article about the issues around the tragedy that led to Harry Dunn losing his life. To read this thought-provoking article, click the Autocar link here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: ENYAQ TO WINGLE - THE WORST CAR NAMES EVER

Gavin Braithwaite-Smith has produced another cracker of a list, this time a selection of the worst car names ever to grace the rear of a car. To run through the list, click the Motoring Research article here.

AND FINALLY: THE LEATHERMAN - INSPIRED BY A FLAKY FIAT

Tim Leatherman’s iconic tool was developed as a result of travelling across Europe in a clapped-out Fiat 600. He created the Leatherman from a list of needs for fixing the car, repeatedly. To read more, click the MotorPunk article here.