Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: MORE DRAMA FOR RECALLED EX30 OWNERS
Volvo is now telling owners not to leave their Extended Range and Twin Motor models unattended when charging indoors or undercover. This is additional to informing them not to charge past 70%. To find out more, click this Autocar article link here.
NORTHERN IRELAND BRINGS IN GRADUATED LICENSES
Come October 1 if you live in Northern Ireland and are a newly licensed driver under the age of 24, you will only be allowed to carry one passenger aged between 14 and 20 for the first six months after passing. This is a first for the UK, with the British Government stating they have no plans to do similar. Click this Autocar article link here to read more.
AMPERE TO BE REINTEGRATED INTO RENAULT GROUP
Ampere, which is the electric and software division is to be reintegrated into the Renault Group after being split off three years ago. Renault fully own the company anyway, after releasing Nissan and Mitsubishi from their obligations to it. If you wish to learn more, click this electrive article link here.
VW GROUP CANCELS US FACTORY
Oliver Blume, VW Group CEO, has stated that they cannot afford to build the planned Audi plant in the US with the planned tariffs. He said that negotiations have not been fruitful and as a result the costs of the tariffs has been in the region of €2.1 billion making large investments unfeasible. To read more on this, click the link here to a Yahoo! Finance story.
ELECTRIC FREIGHTWAY OPENS EHGV CHARGING HUBS
Electric Freightway, part of Gridserve, has opened their first HGV charging hubs, at Extra Baldock and Moto Exeter. Baldock has six and Exeter four dedicated charging bays. They intend to open another five sites. You can find out more by clicking this electrive link here.
CHERY TO OPEN EUROPEAN COMMERCIAL VEHICLE HQ
Chery, the Chinese vehicle manufacturer, are going to open their European commercial vehicle HQ in Halewood, England. Details of the time frame and the exact location are yet to be confirmed. This will be where their R&D departments are located. Click this Autocar link for more.
Additionally, there are reports of Chinese car companies looking to use the spare capacity of UK factories to build their vehicles, including Chery utilising it’s joint venture partner JLR’s facilities. For more on this, click this Autocar article link here.
ELECTRIC BUSES TOO BIG FOR SOME DEVON ROUTES
Stagecoach has stopped using electric buses on Park Road and Hartop Road, in Torquay, due to being too large to safely operate. It is not all bad news for the South West, as the company is bringing electric buses to Torbay. You can read more on this story, by...

GERMANY REINTRODUCES EV CAR GRANT
The German Government has reintroduced their electric car grant that is between €1500 and €6000. Criteria for eligibility include the vehicle’s size, buyer’s earnings and family size. To find out more, click this EV Powered article link here.
RENAULT BECOMES EUROPE’S NO.2 CAR COMPANY
Renault Group became the No.2 car maker in Europe after a jump in sales. By doing so they overtook Toyota. They increased their sales by 7.4%, which includes light commercial vehicles. Click this Autocar article link here, to read more.
BYD INCREASED BATTERY WARRANTY
BYD, the Chinese EV maker, has increased the warranty for their batteries to 155,000 miles. This increases from the previous 93,000 miles but still remains at eight years. To learn more, click this Motoring Research article link here.
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ALLOCATES £85M TO LOW CARBON PROGRAMMES
In the 2026/27 budget, from the Scottish Government, they announce that they will be allocating £85 million to ‘low carbon programmes’, with vague language about expanding public charging and support for low emission vehicles. The details, currently, are scant and it would be unwise to get too excited until knowing more. More can be found by clicking this electrive article link here.
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NEW NEW CAR NEWS -
Volvo EX60
Volvo has unveiled their new electric SUV, the mid sized EX60. Boasting a ‘game-changing’ new platform and ‘radical in-car technology’. With a range of up to 503 miles, prices start at £56,850 and rise to £70,360. Click this Autocar article link here for more.
Leapmotor B05
Leapmotor has finally revealed the interior of their B05 hatchback, at the recent Brussels Motor Show. Following the trend of a minimalist space, there are virtually no physical buttons to be seen. A maximum range of 285 miles is better than the Astra Electric but much less than the VW ID.3 and Kia EV4. The brand is hoping the price will sway buyers as it is expected to start below £30,000. Exact prices and availability timings are yet to be announced. Click this EV Powered article for more.
Encor S1
The Encor S1 is a restomod based on the Lotus Esprit Mk1. See, restomods don’t just need to be 911s! It comes with a carbon fibre body, a 400bhp V8 and will set you back at least £500,000. It looks fantastic. Click this EVO article link here, to see more.
LUNCHTIME WATCH: ALRIGHT, WHICH RICH DIPSH*TS COMMISSIONED THESE ROLLS-ROYCES
We are sharing a wonderful article from Victoria Scott,

UK LOVES A GREY CAR
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has released the details about the colours we selected in 2025 for new cars that were registered. Once again, claiming the top spot, grey won out. Black was second and blue rounded out the top three. To find out more, click this SMMT article link here.
HONDA LIGHT UP THEIR NEW LOGO
Honda has revealed their new ‘H’ logo that will adorn their electric and hybrid vehicles from 2027 onwards. This is a flat, stylised letter H that will be illuminated from behind. Click this Motor Trader article link here, to read more.
MERCEDES PAUSE THEIR LEVEL 3 DRIVING SYSTEM
Mercedes-Benz are to pause the sale of their Level 3 automated driving system, which under certain circumstances allowed the driver to have their hands off the steering wheel and be looking away from the road. They will only be fitting Level 2 driver assistance systems to cars that previously had the L3 option. If you wish to find out more, click this electrive article link here.
TESLA FSD TO BE SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
Tesla has announced that customers in the US will no longer be able to purchase the Full Self Driving driver assistance system outright, from the middle of February 2026. But, it can still be added to suitable cars for a subscription. To read more, click this electrive link here.
UK GOVERNMENT INCREASES FUND FOR EHGV GRANTS
The UK Government is adding £18 million to the fund for electric HGV purchase grant. The amount is tiered dependent on the size of the lorry, with up to £120,000 available to help buy HGVs up over 26 tonnes. You can find out further information by clicking this electrive article link here.
SOUTH EAST GET EVEN MORE EV CHARGERS
Charging company Zest will be installing over 200 charging points in the Lewisham Council controlled area. Good to hear the South East is getting even more chargers - but more seriously, we need more and we need all the country to be well provided for. Click this electrive article link here for more.
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

NEW NEW CAR NEWS -
Mercedes-Benz CLA wins European COTY
52 years after the German brand last won a European COTY award, they do so with their latest CLA. Second place, the Skoda Elroq, was 100 points behind. To find out more about the CLA and the European COTY awards, click this Motoring Research article link here.
Skoda Peaq
Skoda has revealed the name for their new seven seat electric SUV will be Peaq (pronounced “peak”). Very little else is know, although it is based on the 2022 concept the...

FOLLOW UP: UK GOVERNMENT MULLS DRIVING SAFETY CHANGES
The UK Government first mentioned it was looking at some of the rules relating to road safety, back in the summer of 2025, but now has published its Road Safety Strategy which gives more information on proposals aimed at making our roads safer. Aspects being covered at young and elderly drivers, giving councils more powers to change speed limits, technology that is fitted to cars and more. To read this story, click the Autocar article link here. If you wish to visit the Government’s page with a link to the strategy and the five consultations, click this link here.
FOLLOW UP: GEELY TAKES ZEEKR OFF THE STOCK MARKET
As discussed a few months ago, Geely has taken Zeekr back to being a private company and off the stock market. To read more, click this electrive article link here.
FOllow up: jlr cyberattack hit payroll info
During the cyberattack on JLR’s systems, information from payroll was accessed. The company has warned staff to be careful of potential phishing and fraud. Click this article link from The Register, to read more.
DECEMBER AND 2025 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES
2025 saw registrations creep over 2 million for the first time since 2019. Battery electric vehicles made another solid gain in December, but it was not enough on its own to get to the Government’s mandated level for the year. SMMT made it clear that the discounts the industry is funding cannot continue, especially when the financial pressures are mounting and the introduction of taxes aimed specifically at EV owners could cause some buyers to look elsewhere. If you want to read more, click this SMMT article link here.
GMA LOSES A CEO BUT GAINS £90M INVESTMENT
Gordon Murray Automotive’s (GMA) CEO, Phil Lee, has left the company. However, Halo Cars Group has invested £90 million and had two of their officers added to the board. The company said the money will help them push forward with the model plans they have. Click this EVO article link here, for more.
FORD FORCED TO TAKE A FINANCIAL HIT
Outside of the EU, Ford is changing plans when it comes to EVs. They are taking a £14.5 billion hit, as a result. The company says this is a “customer-driven change” but equally, the changes in policy by the US Government has had a big impact on the adoption of EVs. To read more, click this Autocar article link here.
MERCEDES FINANCE SERVICES MAKES A BIG LOSS
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK made a loss of £365 million, in 2025. The main reason is setting aside £424 million to their finance mis-selling compensation fund. You can find out more, by clicking this Business Matters Magazine article link here.
TESLA...

Earlier in the year, Alan was invited down to the south coast to sample the then-new Hyundai Inster electric B-segment hatchback. Food was eaten, a hotel room was slept in, and an Inster was driven to the end of Portland Bill on a surprisingly long, comprehensive test route.
In this Special Edition, Alan shares his thoughts on the Inster.