From the chair: 1 Sept 2020
The SMMT still hopes to run its 2020 driving day, eventually. Latest is a move to 1 October, when the Government permits larger gatherings for business and sporting events. The SMMT and Millbrook have been working on the familiar pattern for the day but it will be...
JLR moves engine production from Wales
Jaguar Land Rover is moving its petrol V8 engine line from the Ford Bridgend Engine Plant to its in-house power centre at Wolverhampton. Workers at the South Wales engine plant closing at the end of September, have been building buffer stocks of the V8 engines to...
Aston Martin Lagonda starts production of their luxury DBX SUV at St Athan, Wales
Aston Martin production of their luxury £154,000 DBX SUV started recently in Wales. The big four-door model was announced for St Athan, some 20 miles west of Cardiff, in 2016 and over the last four years the company has been converting three massive superhangers into...
Approaching a cliff
Tens of thousands of jobs are likely to disappear from the UK automotive sector before the end of the year. Some 11,349 jobs so far axed following lockdown will grow and despite this week’s 11% rise in new car registrations the outlook is bleak. That’s because the...
A once in a lifetime chance
Car enthusiasts are getting a once-in-a-lifetime chance to buy a unique one-off four-year-old British sports car, and it could cost them hundreds of thousands of pounds. The Bristol Bullet roadster is among items being disposed of by joint liquidators of Bristol Cars,...
Mitsubishi cars will stop being sold in the UK and Europe.
Long time Western Group of Motoring Writers’ supporter and Mitsubishi importer Colt Cars, of Cirencester has written to over 100 UK franchise dealers saying the news was unexpected from Japan and meant no new generation models would be coming through the system...
Ineos has suspended its plans to build its new 4×4 Grenadier in Wales.
In a blow to Welsh automotive manufacturing which promised up to 500 jobs it said today, “INEOS Automotive can confirm that it is reviewing its manufacturing strategy for the new Grenadier in light of the COVID-19 pandemic – which has led to some delays in our...
From the chair: July 2020
There’s a new normal shaping the motoring world and how journalists and PRs react to it and one another. Motor shows seem to be dying faster than the fashions of the human models used to adorn the stands as the traditional calendar is not just screwed up and thrown...
From the chair: June 2020
This week we should have been enjoying the famous Western Group PR Driving Day, but instead we are all suffering to various degrees from the lingering effects of the Coronavirus-19 pandemic. In just over two- months our motoring world has ground to standstill....
From the chair: May 2020
A few months ago, no-one could have accurately predicted the volcanic social upheaval now shaking itself through Britain, the rest of the world and our particular automotive industry. Vehicle production stopped, roads emptied, showrooms closed and motorsport become...
From the chair: April 2020
The annual Western Group of Motoring Writers PR Driving Day has been cancelled for 2020, writes Robin Roberts. This tough decision to cancel the event scheduled for 3 June 2020 has been taken only after a lot of heart-searching in light of the very latest...
From the chair: February 2020
The quickening approach of pure battery and plug-in hybrid vehicles is providing a further challenge to PRs and agencies. We simply don’t have the infrastructure to support a big ev-car or van launch with most hotels running to just a couple of recharging points which...
Newspress 2020 Awards Now Open
UK’s long established excellence awards close for nominations on 16 March –
From the chair: January 2020
The Christmas “post” always includes one piece of mail with a shorter life-span than a turkey – the annual SMMT yearbook for the coming 12 months. It is only a matter of hours or days before this hardy annual goes soft and become outdated. In fact it has been...
From the chair: December 2019
Concern about the diminishing levels of investment in UK car manufacturing has, together with other Brexit uncertainties, made 2019 a particularly introspective year. It is perhaps constructive then to look at France which has a car market of similar size to the UK’s....Our Social Wall from Members
Delighted the Tractor Boys are back in the Premier League where they belong after 22 years. Back-to-back promotions too! @ITFC_live #itfc @ipswichtown
Ford Capri 2.8 Injection Special sells at auctions. #webloganycar
Porsche Taycan EV sets new benchmark at Shelsley Walsh
https://automotiveblog.co.uk/2024/05/porsche-taycan-sets-new-benchmark-at-shelsley-walsh/
Another day, another KGM Torres. This time it’s the fully-electrified EVX version with a driving range of 287 miles between charges. @KGM_UK_Media @KGM_UK @RegitCars @WWCOTY @WGMWriters @SGMWupdates
New GR Sport II heads the #Toyota Hilux 2024 line-up https://tinyurl.com/yrfek7cn #4x4 #offroad @ToyotaUK
