Motor finance compensation scheme hanging by a thread amid legal row Banking The City watchdog has told lenders to prepare for the “alternative scenario of no scheme” in the long-running motor finance scandal as another legal showdown brews. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has received four legal challenges including from lenders Volkswagen Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Crédit Agricole Auto Finance. On the consumer side, the [...]
Ford Mustang Sutton CS800DH review: Taming a wild horse Life&Style If you have watched the new BBC comedy Small Prophets – and you absolutely should – you will have spotted the Ford Capri. Like its owner, protagonist Michael Sleep, the faded blue coupe looks unkempt and world-weary. But its rumbling soundtrack and subtle ‘2.9 S’ badge soon reveal this to be no common-or-garden Capri. In [...]
Carmakers to skirt a crash in £11bn motor finance redress Economics UK carmakers are set to curb a hefty hit in the City regulator’s forthcoming redress scheme for the motor finance scandal. Captive lenders, in-house lenders of manufacturers, are to be granted some reprieve by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) after relentless lobbying that the scheme could hamper investment in the UK. The FCA was forced [...]
Carmakers swallow $65bn EV hit as UK bucks slowdown February 15, 2026 A $65bn (£51bn) rethink of electric vehicle strategies by global carmakers is colliding with a very different picture in the UK, where EV uptake continues to climb despite new taxes and policy scrutiny. Manufacturers across the US, Europe and Japan have booked tens of billions in writedowns over the past year as demand undershot expectations [...]
How Formula 1 is reengineering car branding December 14, 2025 It’s an old adage, but one particularly true for automotive brands, that where you show up as a brand really matters. Staples for car marketing are high-quality environments such as cinema, peak TV, eye-catching billboards and the like. Especially for cars – a category in which long-range priming is key – these quality touchpoints shape [...]
High Court showdown: Mercedes, Ford and Renault stand accused in Dieselgate trial October 13, 2025 Car manufacturing giants, including Mercedes, Ford and Renault, are set to face a lengthy trial at the High Court over allegations they cheated emissions tests. Knicknamed Dieselgate, the largest group claim ever brought in the UK, is set to kick off at the court on Monday morning for a 10-week trial in front of Lady [...]
The best restomods to buy in 2025 September 1, 2025 Restomods divide opinion like a famous jar of yeast extract, but clearly they are here to stay. And rightly so in our opinion – these modified classic cars are more exploitable and exciting to drive than almost anything sold new in 2025. We have driven some truly fabulous restomods, including cars based on iconic Porsche, [...]
Ford Capri review: A controversial comeback for a famous name August 5, 2025 Not since the public voted to call a polar research vessel ‘Boaty McBoatface’ has a name caused such a stir. Ford’s decision to bring back ‘Capri’ was either a marketing masterstroke or a fate-sealing faux pas. The story blew up on social media, briefly distracting us from whatever Elon Musk was doing that day and [...]
Boreham Motorworks Ford Escort Mk1 68 Edition: Praise the Ford May 30, 2025 If this was a pitch on Dragons’ Den, it’s hard to imagine anyone agreeing to invest. “We’re bringing back the Ford Escort after 25 years of absence.” (Deborah Meaden arches an eyebrow.) “It won’t be legal to drive on the road.” (Stephen Bartlett slowly shakes his head). “And it will cost upwards of £300,000.” (Peter [...]
Ford is killing off the Ford Focus – but why? April 29, 2025 Thirty years ago, one in five new cars sold in Britain wore a Ford badge. The Escort was the nation’s favourite – as it had been for decades – followed by the Fiesta in second place and the Mondeo in third. Today, Ford has slipped to fifth place in the UK market, behind Volkswagen, BMW, [...]