Author: Ingram Sanders

Volkswagen has committed to investing £30.4 billion into the hybridisation and electrification of models as part of Roadmap E, which is, according to the manufacturer, “the most comprehensive electrification initiative in the automotive industry”.  Roadmap E has a plan to provide an electric option for every model line by 2030. At the meeting of Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board on Friday, chief executive Matthias Müller claimed that the car brand was “reinventing the car”, and making targeted investments to provide the necessary funds from...

In an effort to simplify advertising on Twitter, the social networking site has launched a self-serve advertising subscription tool, where advertisers can promote their tweets for a monthly fee. Promote Mode is primarily aimed at smaller accounts, most beneficial, according to Twitter, to those with up to 2,000 followers. Users can choose how they promote themselves and then task the tool do to the rest, removing the need for ad creation and campaign management. The monthly fee is $99. Users can...

The UK’s largest single brand JLR Arch Concept showroom has now opened. The Lookers  Land Rover facility boasts a £7m showroom with space for 60 used car vehicles and 15 repair and maintenance bays. The sites has 145 parking bays. A customer drive-through service area has been included, as well as a personal video presentation service to film the work carried out for the customer and offer greater transparency. The arrival of hybrids and electric vehicles has also been catered for,...

A former British Olympic Skier and the new Jaguar XF Sportbrake have teamed up to more than double the Guinness World Record for Fastest Towed Speed on Skis, achieving more than 117 mph in temperatures of -28C at Jaguar Land Rover’s Arctic Revi Test Centre in Arjeplog, Sweden.   It was the “superb handling, plentiful traction and great high speed stability” that made the Jaguar XF Sportbrake the perfect choice for this record attempt, according to Nick Collins, Vehicle Line Director...

E.ON has announced a plan to implement over 10,000 electric car charging points across Europe by 2020. Although E.ON couldn’t reveal how many stations the UK will receive, its announcement comes after BMW, Daimler, VW Group and Ford reported plans of 400 charging points by 2020, focusing mainly on Germany, Austria and Norway. The company currently has 6,000 Europe charging points and is one of many to announce future growth plans to accommodate electric vehicle infrastructure, preparing itself for the ‘electric...

In an effort to ensure hybrid cars run purely on zero-emission electric power in highly polluted city centers, Ford and Transport for London will create virtual geographic boundaries that detect when hybrid vehicles have not switched to electric, and force them to do so. Some 20 new Ford plug-in hybrid transit vans will be used in a 12-month trial that will start early next year in London. Known as geofencing, the GPS tech will ensure the vans run on electric...

A multi-million pound Jaguar Land Rover retailer in Wolverhampton that will house 18 Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, as well as a workshop, service area and reception, will open in late 2018. Work has now begun on the new Jardine Motors Group dual-arch showroom, and it will become the largest retailer facility in the group, according to the report inside Car Dealer Magazine. The new development will create a number of new positions for the group, which will be in addition to...

Mercedes-Benz has awarded its millionth pop-up shop visitor a £250 shopping voucher during the Liverpool leg of the brand’s 2017 retail tour of the UK. The Mercedes-Benz Pop-Up Shop is open longer hours than more traditional retail sites, with the main concept being to draw visitors in to browse cars in the same way they browse clothes. Other brands have more established sites within shopping centres, including Hyundai and Jaguar Land Rover that have teamed up with Rockar’s retail store concept. Read...

Toyota has developed what it calls ‘game-changing’ solid state battery technology, but will be keeping its research in-house. The brand’s solid-state batteries use technology based on lithium ion batteries, but with the ability to work at a higher temperature than current batteries, and do not require cooling due to their small size. Costs remain similar as the raw materials are the same. Toyota expects to launch EV’s with solid-state batteries early in the next decade, and with more than 200...

The G. B. Pant Institute of Technology, New Delhi, is to offer a one-year Advanced Diploma in Automotive Mechatronics (ADAM) after the Delhi government tied a deal with Mercedes-Benz India. The aim of the programme is to create a clear pathway for students keen to work in the automotive industry, and to equip India’s large youth demographic with expertise in electronics and other modern automotive technologies. Is this course something the UK would benefit from? Read more here. Image Source: RCSI...

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