DEBATE: Should we celebrate the fact that car sales are down for the second year running? January 8, 2019 Should we celebrate the fact that car sales are down for the second year running? Benedict Spence, a freelance writer, says YES. For all the talk of a fall in car sales in the UK, well over two million new vehicles were registered in Britain last year. It’s a staggering number, and it was only a [...]
Loan taken out by GLA to save Crossrail would have put pressure on TfL’s credit rating, finance boss admits January 7, 2019 The Greater London Authority (GLA) agreed to take on a £1.4bn loan to save Crossrail to protect Transport for London's (TfL) less robust credit rating, it has been admitted. At a meeting of the London Assembly's budget and performance committee, chair of the transport committee Caroline Pidgeon asked why it was the GLA that was taking [...]
Aston Martin hires supply chain chief and considers flying in car parts to prepare for no-deal Brexit January 7, 2019 Luxury carmaker Aston Martin has kicked into motion its Brexit contingency plans as the threat of a no-deal Brexit draws ever closer. Aston Martin's chief executive Andy Palmer told Reuters it had hired a supply chain chief and was considering flying in components to deal with the effects of Britain crashing out of the EU without [...]
Battersea Power Station set to start energy production after 37 dormant years January 7, 2019 The chimneys of Battersea Power Station will work once more when the site starts producing energy again in 2020, three and a half decades since the factory went quiet. The Grade II*-listed building is at the heart of a 42-acre redevelopment project that will introduce a six-acre park, a town square, a new Tube station as [...]
Lorries embark on no-deal Brexit test run to Dover January 7, 2019 Nearly 90 lorries took part in a no-deal Brexit test run this morning to help the government prepare for potential Dover traffic jams after the UK leaves the EU in March. The first wave of 89 lorries set off on the 20-mile journey between the disused Manston Airport and the Port of Dover at 8am, [...]
Tesla to break ground on Shanghai Gigafactory today, says Elon Musk January 7, 2019 Tesla shares rose at least four per cent today on the news that the company planned to break ground at its Shanghai Gigafactory and drive forward plans to build Model 3 electric vehicles in China by the end of the year. Initial construction of the $2bn (£1.57bn) factory will be completed this summer, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk [...]
Sports carmaker McLaren achieves record-breaking year for global sales January 7, 2019 Global sales at British luxury sportscar brand McLaren reached record-breaking levels last year, thanks to growth in the UK, North American and Chinese markets. Global sales rose to 4,806 cars in 2018, up 43.9 per cent on 2017, another record for the company which has increased sales every year since its formation in 2010. McLaren's UK domestic market generated [...]
Amazon bolsters its fleet of cargo aircraft to further expand delivery business January 6, 2019 Amazon has bolstered its fleet of planes to further expand its delivery business as it goes up against cargo airline giants FedEx and UPS. The tech giant has agreed to lease a further 10 Boeing 767 aircraft to expand its Amazon Air network. The move takes the company’s fleet to 50 and grows its partnership [...]
Heathrow proposes up to 25,000 more flights a year January 5, 2019 Heathrow is planning to allow an extra 25,000 flights a year to increase capacity ahead of the opening of a third runway. Annual flight numbers could exceed 500,000 for the first time if the airport cancels the limit introduced as part of the planning permission for Heathrow’s Terminal 5 in 2001, the Times reported. During [...]
Ryanair named ‘worst short-haul airline’ for sixth year in a row January 5, 2019 Ryanair has been named the UK’s worst short-haul airline for the sixth year in the row. A passenger survey, carried out by Which, put the Irish budget airline at the bottom of 19 carriers flying from the UK. Ryanair achieved a customer score of 40 per cent compared to a 63 per cent score for [...]