From the Chair: October 2022
We certainly didn’t have it easy trying to run the Western Group Driving Day for the first time since before the pandemic… But by all measures, I think we can claim a success. Not only did we need to revive an event that has been valued by our PR colleagues for...
From the Chair: Driving Day 2022
The Western Group of Motoring Writers Driving Day will continue as planned on Wednesday 14th September. The unexpected death of Her Majesty the Queen last Thursday caused us to discuss whether it was appropriate to continue with the arrangements, given that the date...
From the Chair: July 2022
After the Western Group had to make the decision to abandon our annual Driving Day, a blow to us all as it would have been the first to be staged since 2019, I’m pleased to say that we have been able to re-schedule the event this year. The 1 June date fell victim to...
From the Chair: 22 May 2022
Unfortunately, our plans to hold the first WGMW PR Driving Day since 2019, have hit a hiccup. We were due to hold the event at Castle Combe Circuit, where the event has been held since it began over 30 years ago. Now that events are up and running again at...
From the Chair: May 2022
Leigh Robinson 1948-2022 The Western Group lost a stalwart when Leigh died suddenly at the beginning of April. Leigh was a ‘proper’ journalist as many will know, working his way up through the local press in Northern England before coming south in the 1990s and after...
From the Chair: March 2022
Whither Geneva? The first week of March has since time immemorial been the date of the Geneva Show, the event which always seemed to herald the new motoring year. But once again and for the third year in succession, the Show has been cancelled. The organisers blamed...
From the Chair: February 2022
I recently carried out an interview with the Chief Technology Officer of the Volvo Group – not the car manufacturer but the truck, bus and off-road equipment manufacturer. In the course of the discussion, the subject of autonomous vehicles came up. I was quite...
From the Chair: January 2022
Last month, Daimler Benz announced that it had received authorisation from the federal traffic office to equip its car with level-three automation, effectively hands-free driving. The first appearance of this will be on the new S Class Mercedes due for launch during...
From the Chair: December 2021
With the AGM behind us, From the Chair comes from a new Chairman this month. Many thanks to Robin Roberts for his many years of hard work for the Group as chairman and deputy chairman. The Government’s stated intention to ban the internal combustion engine from...
From the Chair: November 2021
If it has struck you that there seem to be more and more Teslas about, it is not an illusion. According to analysts Jato Dynamics, in September the Tesla Model 3 was Europe’s best-selling car, with 24,571 cars sold. In second place was the Renault Clio at 18,268 and...
From the Chair: October 2021
The Western Group of Motoring Writers recently held its first face-to-face meeting for over a year courtesy of Honda UK and to whom we are very grateful. By the way, there was no truth in the rumour that Honda PR Emma Butler used the meeting as a rehearsal for...
From the Chair: September 2021
Electric cars are slowly improving, a development that some members of the WG recently were able to ascertain for themselves driving Honda’s new battery entry to the European market, the E. But while their manufacturers energetically promote them, electric cars remain...
From the Chair: July 2021
While the pandemic with its daily statistics and intermittent lockdowns has naturally dominated the news for a year-and-a-half, other matters of interest, not to say concern, have often been overlooked. A case in point is the rise and rise of urban clean air zones,...From the chair June 2021
Slowly, very slowly, things are getting back to normal for motoring journalists, prs, the industry and dealers but no-one knows what that “new normal” will be or how it will work out and that is potentially a sticking point for everyone which will not take...
From the Chair: April 2021
The recent Evergreen affair underlines just how much the motor industry is at the mercy of supply chains over which it has little control. The Suez Canal bottleneck will probably result in some shipments arriving three-to four-weeks late and for car manufacturers it...Powered by 
We`re celebrating our 40th anniversary this year - flick through some amazing archive pictures in a special gallery on our website... https://www.thewesterngroup.co.uk/images-from-the-last-40-years/
To the Cotswolds with #Vauxhall for the UK press launch of the all-new Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric, plus the updated Corsa and Corsa Electric
#vauxhall #vauxhallastra #vauxhallastraelectric #vauxhallcorsa #vauxhallcorsaelectric #ev #electric #electriccar #electricvehicle
We`ve been getting up to speed with the impressive Kia range at the lovely Manor House Hotel in Castle Combe, Wiltshire
#kia #kiapicanto #kianiro #kiaev6 #kiasportage #kiasorento
A big thanks to all the PRs who brought their cars to our special 40th anniversary Driving Day. Provisional date for 2024`s event is Thursday, June 13 👍
#cars #carsofinstagram #amazingcars #amazingcars247 #carporn #automobile #automotive #automotivephotography #bmw #genesis #ford #fordrangerraptor #volvo #fordfocusst #suzuki #museum #classiccar #oldtimer #oldtimers
PRs in other brands` cars 😎
#cars #carsofinstagram #amazingcars #amazingcars247 #carporn #automobile #automotive #automotivephotography #bmw #genesis #ford #fordrangerraptor #volvo #fordfocusst #suzuki #museum #classiccar #oldtimer #oldtimers #bmw #honda #hondacivictyper
We`re at Haynes Motor Museum in Somerset welcoming PRs and their cars at our 40th anniversary Driving Day
#cars #carsofinstagram #amazingcars #amazingcars247 #carporn #automobile #automotive #automotivephotography #bmw #genesis #ford #fordrangerraptor #volvo #fordfocusst
John Kendall (WGMW Chairman), Kieron Fennelly (Deputy Chairman) and Steve Grant (Secretary) - all unanimously re-elected for another year at our AGM, along with John Kerswill (Treasurer)
We`re spending the day with the #Genesis team, and we`re spoilt for choice 👍
#genesisgv70 #genesisgv60 #genesisg80 #ev #performance #electricvehicle #electricvehiclecharging #auto #automotivephotography #automotive #automobile
We`ve had a top day getting up to speed with the #Kia range - thanks to the @kiaukpr team for making it happen 👍
#kiasportage #kiaev6 #kiapicanto #kiastinger #kiasorento #hybrid #phev #automotivephotography #auto #carporn
Members of the Western Group have been at the press launch of the elegant, all-new Peugeot 308 - available as a hatchback or estate (SW) and initially with a choice of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains
#peugeot #peugeot308 #hybrid #automotive #hatchback #automotivephotography #auto #carporn
