Watch out Uber? Addison Lee’s investing £17m in 550 new Ford Galaxys November 14, 2016 Addison Lee is striking while the iron's hot. It has just announced some hefty investment, plugging £17m into new cars, purchasing 550 Ford Galaxy people carriers, as it renews 12 per cent of its 5,000 strong fleet. Earlier this year profits were down as it battled the rise of mobile challengers, like Uber. But with the [...]
Volkswagen’s Audi is in talks with China’s biggest car manufacturer SAIC Motor November 14, 2016 Volkswagen's Audi AG has confirmed it's in talks with China's biggest car manufacturer by sales, SAIC Motor Corp Ltd, for a long-term collaboration. The two firms signed a cooperation agreement on 11 November to explore the collaboration, SAIC said in a statement. Reuters first reported discussions were in the works on Saturday, to pave the way for [...]
BMW wants to ramp up sales of electric cars to 100,000 in 2017 November 14, 2016 Things are really heating up in the electric car race. First Toyota decided it would explore long-range electric vehicles (EVs) after previously saying it would reserve EVs for short-distance commuting. Then Jaguar Land Rover got in on the action, with the launch of its first electric car imminent. Now BMW is ramping up its EV [...]
Airline industry looks for assurances from government over Open Skies agreement in wake of Brexit turbulence November 13, 2016 Around 20 representatives from the aviation industry will sit down with the government tomorrow to air their concerns and discuss opportunities post-Brexit vote. In a meeting with the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU), they will stress the importance of a deal with Brussels, as many jitters remain as to what a post-EU Britain will look [...]
EasyJet set for low-flying results as sterling slump post-Brexit packs a punch November 13, 2016 Another week, another airline braced for its results to take a hit thanks to the summer slump in sterling. EasyJet's due to unveil its full-year results on Tuesday and investors are expecting a sharp drop in profits after the fall in value of the pound and terrorist attacks at some of its key holiday destinations. The [...]
Jaguar Land Rover gears up for the launch of its first electric car November 13, 2016 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is gearing up for a charge on the electric car market. Britain's biggest car manufacturer is planning to reveal its first electric car, after recently unveiling an Autodrive project with Ford and Tata Motors to test connected and automated cars in the UK. The new vehicle is expected to be in the [...]
Tube ticket offices won’t be reopened, says chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee November 9, 2016 London Underground ticket offices are unlikely to be reopened, according to the chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee. A review by independent watchdog TravelWatch has been underway to assess the impact of closures on passengers, particularly disabled users, after it was commissioned by Sadiq Khan in September. It’s due by the end of the year. “Whether [...]
Wizz Air bats away Brexit turbulence with record first half profit after halving its plans for UK growth November 9, 2016 The largest central and eastern European low-cost airline, Wizz Air Holdings, has committed its future to the UK market despite Brexit, as it stuck to full-year profit forecast. The figures Profit for the half was a record €253.3m – up 39.1 per cent on last year, while underlying profit after tax was €231.6 million (a year-on-year increase [...]
Flybe profits tumble after share price nosedived to an all-time low this week November 9, 2016 Half-year results for Flybe showed a slump in profits as it feels the effects of a falling pound, but chairman Simon Laffin is doing his best to find the positives. The figures There was a 12.8 per cent rise in group revenue to £383m thanks to higher passenger volumes in Flybe UK and increased revenue in [...]
Night Tube passenger numbers are 50 per cent higher than forecast November 9, 2016 Transport for London (TfL) thought the Night Tube would be popular; it didn't realise quite how popular. At a meeting of the London Assembly Transport Committee to discuss progress of the services, London Underground's managing director Mark Wild said that at the moment, passenger numbers were 50 per cent higher than forecast on the Night [...]