Whinging car giants are giving business a bad name November 17, 2020 News broke last week that the UK government is reportedly planning to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. As night follows day came the inevitable howls from the car industry. It’s not possible. It’s all too quick. Our societies are not ready for it. And on it goes. The reality is [...]
Volkswagen to invest €73bn in digitalisation and electric cars November 13, 2020 Car giant Volkswagen will invest €73bn into developing hybrid and electric cars over the next five years, it was announced today. Investment in the new technologies, as well as into digitalisation, will now account for nearly half of the €150bn of spending the firm has scheduled. Almost half of the money – €35bn – will [...]
Government green job taskforce to support creation of 2m jobs November 12, 2020 The government has today launched a green jobs task force to support the creation of 2m skilled jobs over the next decade. The new body will assess what the UK job market needs to do to adapt as the country seeks to transition to a net zero emissions energy system by 2050. It will create [...]
Could ditching the office make us all poorer? November 12, 2020 While we have in many ways adjusted to life in a pandemic, the profoundly disorientating changes we’ve seen since the initial nationwide lockdown are stark. The “death of the office” narrative has persisted through the easing and then reimposing of lockdown restrictions, and while no one can predict exactly how this will play out, it [...]
The Toyota GR Yaris is a thrilling rally car for the road November 10, 2020 Toyota took its next WRC race car, then made it road-legal. The result is the bespoke and ballistic GR Yaris – our hot hatchback of the year.
Bentley gently goes green: Electric-only by 2030 November 6, 2020 Luxury carmaker Bentley has committed to switching to a fully electric vehicle line by 2030 with the aim of being an “end-to-end carbon neutral organisation”. Following the introduction of the first electric model in 2024, the carmaker has said it will only offer plug-in hybrid and electric models within its 2026 range. By 2030 this [...]
McLaren boss says operating costs now ‘break even’ following fundraising and redundancies, and downplays second wave fears October 19, 2020 McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt has described his “horrible” 2020 in an exclusive interview with City A.M., but says he is “cautiously optimistic” despite the second wave of coronavirus. Flewitt was forced to make 1,200 redundancies – almost a quarter of the company’s 4,000-strong workforce – and carry out a sale and lease-back of the McLaren [...]
McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt on a difficult year and an electrified future October 19, 2020 We have coffee with McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt, discussing the new 765LT, a "horrible" year and McLaren’s plugged-in hybrid future.
Pearson sales slump amid Covid-19 closures of schools and test centres October 14, 2020 Educational publisher Pearson (PSON) has suffered a drop in sales since the beginning of the year after the coronavirus pandemic forced test centres and schools to close. Group sales in the nine months to 30 September fell 14 per cent, reflecting the continued impact of the Covid-19 crisis. The company said its online learning sales [...]
PM to launch ‘Office for Investment’ in a bid to lure foreign investors October 12, 2020 The Prime Minister will reportedly launch a new Downing Street operation to secure foreign investment for infrastructure projects amid the UK’s economic recovery. Number 10 is working on a new “Office for Investment” which will be tasked with identifying and coordinating major infrastructure initiatives, according to Sky News. Chief among these projects will be delivering [...]