Over the daily Toyota runaway stories, it’s easy to forget the plight of GM and its children abroad. If you think that’s the idea, then you are a miserable conspiracy theorist, and you should stand in the corner. With that in mind, let’s check in with GM and its worldwide siblings to see how they are doing. Read More >
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Category: UK
On September 19, 2008, William Hippsley, 74, was behind the wheel in the parking lot of a shopping center in Brigg, South Humberside, UK. Outside, his wife Brenda, 69, helped him park his car. Suddenly, Hippsley’s car shot forward, dragged his wife 130ft across the parking lot – and killed her.
The car was a Toyota Prius. Read More >
When the Romans invaded England, they didn’t last long. The Romanians are getting ready for another try.
Marketing Magazine reports that Renault UK will bring their Romanian-built Dacia brand to the UK by 2012. Amazing. They’re bringing a marque which is positioned LOWER than a Renault. The article goes on to say that Renault wants to emulate the success of low cost brands like Kia. Yes, but will the Dacia come with a 7 year warranty? Renault UK MD, Roland Bouchara said “With value-for-money, downsizing, fuel economy and emissions all becoming increasingly important, we want to show that Dacia can appeal to the head, the heart and the wallet.”. I’m reminded of that famous engineering expression “On time, well built and in budget. Pick two.” Does Dacia reckon they can defy this saying? Will the Dacia stand toe to toe with the likes of Skoda, Kia and Suzuki? I’m guessing non.
Brazil and some in the U.S are firmly backing ethanol as the fuel of the future. The UK thinks that electricity is the way forward, and they’re putting our money where their mouth is. The Independent UK reports that 11,000 charging points for electric cars are to be built in London, Milton Keynes and the North East. This project is being part supported by the UK government to the tune of £30 million. Coincidentally, the North East is where Nissan’s UK plant is. Is the government trying to butter someone up to produce a certain type of vehicle there? If successful, (or the government wants to force it on the public) then a second wave of charging points will roll out.
This shouldn’t really come as a, well, shock as the government is solidly pro-electric cars. In the pre-budget reports, Chancellor Alistair Darling announced tax rebates for electric cars. But there is another little problem: Read More >
The London 2012 Olympics promise to be a “low Carbon” affair. The London games will have everything from a low carbon Olympic flame to official energy provider EDF providing 24MW of energy from renewable resources. Even the official Olympic fleet is getting in on the “low carbon” act. What else is there to do? Right: The humble British Black Cab is getting the “low carbon” treatment. It’s coming from a source that had already been written off: Hydrogen. Read More >
“Toyota is considering halting production at its factory at Burnaston, near Derby, because of collapsing sales amid the car company’s recall crisis,” London’s Times reports.
This comes on the heels of reported plans to shut two down two plants in the United States for a total of 14 days. According to the Times, Toyota is “reviewing production at its European factories.”
Toyotas recall led to “a collapse in sales for the world’s largest carmaker,” as the Times put it. Read More >
Toyota are facing many lawsuits for unintended acceleration which may have (or not, you never know what law firm is reading this site!) caused the deaths of many people. However, let’s hope Emily Harris doesn’t get litigious.
London’s Daily Express reports that the 19 year old from the UK was refused her driving test, which left her a crying wreck. The reason? The examiner would not go in Miss Harris’s car. It was a Toyota Aygo. Read More >
The UK Sustainable Development Commission yesterday released a report recommending the use of average speed cameras for round-the-clock tracking of motorist journeys nationwide. The government advisory body said that widespread deployment of average speed cameras was required to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide by automobiles, a factor that some believe is linked to global changes in temperature. The report made a number of recommendations affecting the driving public.
“The business models associated with private motoring are not aligned with sustainability,” the report explained.
David Smith, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover has left the company for reasons that JLR and parent firm Tata refuse to elaborate upon beyond telling the Beeb that Smith’s departure is “not linked to the recent breakdown of talks with unions over pay and pensions.” Since the sale to Tata, Jaguar has been negotiating a two-tier wage system and pension reform with workers at its four British plants, but talks stumbled to a halt just days ago. So, that’s definitely not why Smith left suddenly.
British officials are making plans to impose a tax on speeding and parking citations this year in an effort to raise money to cover a growing budget deficit. Secretary of State for Justice Claire Ward announced the plan in a written answer to a question posed by Member of Parliament Greg Knight. The new revenue would be labeled as a “victims’ surcharge.”
Read More >
It’s getting late in the game today and we’re down a couple of points, so its time to go for a double. Thanks to an easy pitch from the UK government and AutoBlogGreen, I’m going to swing. The Nanny State Incarnate is encouraging local UK governments to introduce blanket 20 mph speed limits in all residential area. And ABG picks up the story from Autocar and adds its own little brilliant addition to the story: its going to save fuel. Now how is it that a writer for the biggest little green blog in the land doesn’t know that cars are way less efficient at 20 mph than at their peak efficient speed of somewhere between 35 and 50? And there’s more; in fact this might well be a triple: Read More >
This guy is being called Britain’s drunkest driver, after Old Blighty’s ubiquitous security cameras caught him urinating on his own car before driving off.
More promises of Chryslerian change, this time from a UK-market minisite [via Autoblog]. Maybe the brand is planning on going back to its Rootes?
Nissan’s UK plant could lose the production contract for Nissan’s Leaf EV, thanks to the London 2012 Olympics’ committee. Production of the Leaf at Nissan UK’s Sunderland plant would almost certainly have been confirmed, sources tell Autocar, had the Olympics picked Nissan’s bid, creating instant demand for some 2,000 Leafs. Because they chose BMW to sponsor the 2012 Games, production of the Leaf in the UK is no longer a sure thing. Though Sunderland is still said to be in the running as the European Leaf production site, Nissan have plants in Portugal and Spain that are bidding for the job. And after the London Olympic committee’s implication that Nissan’s bid lost because they couldn’t rely on its EVs, Nissan seems ready to make all of England pay for the insult.
Are you a lonely American, stuck in Merry Old England for the holidays and looking for a slice of Wal-Mart shopping lot nostalgia amid the plum pudding and “Fathers Christmas”? Look no further than the UK Cruisers’ Charity Christmas Party. Who knew there were enough “owners and admirers of PT Cruisers” in Old Blighty to start a club?
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