There and back again - 19 June 2024

FOLLOW UP: SURPRISE EU TARIFF RATES
The EU has announced the rates for interim tariffs on Chinese made cars coming to the continent. These are surprisingly high, in some cases. The differences per brand is due to the level of cooperation they provided the investigators and what state aid they receive. To read more, click this Politco article link here (www.politico.eu/article/europ...) .
To read another interesting article from Politico, explaining how the EU’s moves are very similar to those China made decades ago, click this link here (www.politico.eu/article/europ...) .
FOLLOW UP: WAYMO UPDATES SOFTWARE
Waymo has updated the software for its autonomous cars, with the hope that it now can spot and avoid obstacles such as telegraph poles. We wait, with bated breath, as to what the next “edge case” might be. If you wish to read more, click this link from The Register (www.theregister.com/2024/06/1...) .
FOLLOW UP: JLR INVESTING £1M TO COUNTER CAR THEFTS
JLR is allocating £1 million to help counter car thefts in the UK. Some of the money will be used to provide the police with more assistance, the rest will be to pay for a new policing unit, who will gather intelligence on car crime. You can find out more, by clicking this link here to an AMOnline article (www.am-online.com/news/jlr-to...) .
FOLLOW UP: FISKER APPLIES FOR BANKRUPTCY
Succumbing to the inevitable, Fisker has announced it has applied for bankruptcy protection, in the US. As our Lunchtime Read last week outlined, the company has been hit by mismanagement from the outset which became increasingly worse as they approached making an actual car. Click here to read more, from Autocar (www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/bu...) .
MI5 NEEDS CAR TECHNICIANS FOR ITS FLEET
MI5 has a job opportunity for a ‘vehicle technician’, where the successful applicant will be expected to perform routine servicing through to rebuilding transmissions. If you wish to learn more, click this Garage Wire article link here (garagewire.co.uk/news/mi5-see...) .
DUNDEE INSTALLS FIRST RETRACTABLE EV CHARGERS
UEone is operating 18 7kW on-street chargers across the city of Dundee. These chargers, when not in use, sink so that their top is flush with the ground, until activated. The idea is that it frees up the pavement, for users, when not being used. To read more, click this article link from EV Powered (evpowered.co.uk/news/europes-...) .
SURREY COUNCIL INSTALL SOLAR POWERED EV CHARGING STATION
Surrey Council have installed a pre-fabricated solar powered EV charging station, that will be able to charge up to 12 EVs at seven, 11 or 22kW simultaneously. Similar set ups have been installed at Silverstone and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. If you wish to read more, click this Current News article link here (www.current-news.co.uk/surrey...) .
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NEW NEW CAR NEWS -
Fiat Grande Panda
Fiat has revealed the Grande Panda, which is larger than the current model. Sharing the same platform, technology and many of the body panels of the Citroën C3, this chunky small SUV will come in EV, hybrid and ICE configurations. Click this Autocar link here (www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/ne...) , to find out more.
Smart #5
Sized very similarly to the Peugeot 5008, this five seat SUV will have a range topping 637bhp, enabling the large vehicle to get from 0-62mph in less than three seconds, it is expected. We fail to see why anyone would need to do so, but there you go. Originally pencilled in to come to the UK at £35,000, we will have to wait and see if that remains the same after the EU moves on tariffs. Click this Autocar article link to read more (www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/ne...) .
Alpine A290
Pitched as the gateway car to the brand, Alpine have taken the covers off the A290, a reengineered Renault 5. It is wider, lighter and wears more aggressive bodywork than the car it is based on. The warm hatch is to start at around £36,000. For those wanting to learn more, click this Autocar link here (www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/ne...) .
JLR to partner with Chery on platforms
A month after denying that they will be using Chery platforms on their new models, JLR...