Is the future of the Big Six advertising agencies under threat? March 2, 2020 Navel-gazing about the future is becoming increasingly fashionable in adland. The last few years have been tricky for the industry, as profits have faltered and clients have demanded more and more of the major players. It has led to concerns that the Big Six, the marketing giants which have dominated the sector for the last [...]
We’ve got the power: Decarbonising our transport on the road to a greener nation February 21, 2020 The government will soon publish its strategy on cutting emissions from cars, trains, boats and planes — and already the transport secretary has suggested that sales of combustion and hybrid vehicles could be banned from 2035. Change comes with questions. For example: how clean is our electricity? And can Britain’s energy infrastructure meet the demand [...]
Government flies into trouble with targets February 5, 2020 One can understand why a man whose job it is to promote and run an airport may be of the view that flying is, on balance, quite a good idea. For much of the time that Heathrow has been in business, its bosses have largely had their licence to operate pretty much nailed on — [...]
COP26: Government brings polluting car ban forward to 2035 February 4, 2020 The government’s decision to bring forward the ban on petrol, diesel and hybrid cars to 2035 has drawn mixed reactions ahead of Glasgow’s COP26 summit. Previously, the government had planned to phase out petrol, diesel and hybrid cars by 2040 as part of its aspiration for the UK to be carbon neutral by 2050. But [...]
Morgan spiced: The new Morgan Plus Six combines classic styling with modern mechanicals January 27, 2020 Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. The Morgan Plus Six has a downsized, turbocharged engine and paddle-shift gearbox. It has electric power steering, LED running lights, a digital speedo and a Sport Plus mode. It even has remote central locking and puddle lights under the doors. A truly modern Morgan, then? Well, let’s not [...]
Spilling the beans: How coffee chain Grind has carved out its own London niche January 20, 2020 Given how busy life in the capital can get, and how hard the people here work, most Londoners must live on coffee. It’s the only plausible explanation for the explosion in coffee shops in recent years. Independent coffee houses are thriving alongside the big brands like Costa and Pret a Manger. According to research by [...]
Crossrail 2 may already be facing delays, says Sadiq Khan January 16, 2020 Crossrail 2 may have been delayed before government approval has even been given, according to Sadiq Khan. The £41.3bn rail project – a new Tube line running from North to South London – is in limbo as it awaits for the Department for Transport (DfT) to deliberate on its business plan. Under the current funding [...]
What does the future hold for Lotus? CEO Phil Popham on the classic marque’s direction January 14, 2020 Last summer, I boarded a red Routemaster bus for a London sightseeing tour. Along with a handful of British hacks, the top deck was crammed with Chinese journalists and social media stars, many armed with selfie sticks. Our final stop was the Royal Horticultural Halls near Victoria, where the Lotus Evija would be revealed. The [...]
Decline in German automotive production weighs on its economy January 13, 2020 Structural change and a sharp decline in automotive production in Germany is weighing on the economy, according to a report published today. The Munich-based ifo Institute estimated that the automotive industry workforce has shrunk by 1.3 per cent since the beginning of 2019, a much sharper decline than in the rest of the manufacturing industry [...]
Thin, light and mighty, the Surface Laptop 3 is Microsoft’s MacBook killer December 18, 2019 Microsoft’s Surface range of hardware has been around for seven years, but still manages to impress with each new device launched. Laptops that appear to have been sculpted out of single blocks of brushed metal. Tablets housed in alacantra keyboard cases. Two-in-one hybrids with skeletal, alien hinges, and gravity-defying desktop machines poised on silent hinges. [...]