Santander, Lloyds face £1bn car finance claim for pushing customers into pricey deals August 6, 2023 Santander and Lloyds face a new UK lawsuit over alleged “anti-competitive agreements” they had with car dealerships that pushed customers towards more expensive finance options when they were buying second-hand cars. The claim, filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal last month, targets three of the largest motor finance providers: Santander UK, Black Horse, which is [...]
UK rejects AMTE Power’s urgent plea for funds as it works to avoid administration July 23, 2023 AMTE Power faces an increasingly uncertain future, with its urgent pleas for financial support from the government have fallen on deaf ears.
Confirmed: Jaguar owner Tata to build £4bn battery factory in the UK July 19, 2023 Jaguar Land Rover’s owner has confirmed it will invest £4 billion to build a gigafactory in the UK, in a major boost for the British automotive sector and following months of speculation. Tata Group – the Indian conglomerate who have owned JLR since 2008 – said that its investment in the new 40GWh battery plant [...]
New car market ‘growing back and growing green’ with EV surge – but rate hikes peak concern July 5, 2023 Britain’s new car market recorded its 11th consecutive month of growth in June with registrations rising 25.8 per cent – but it might not be smooth driving in the near future. Just under one million new cars were registered in the first half of 2023, up 18.4 per cent on the previous 2022, according to [...]
UK factories slip further into recession on cooling overseas spending July 3, 2023 Britain’s factories have plunged further into recession territory, driven by domestic and foreign buyers reining in spending amid intense economic uncertainty, a closely watched survey out today shows. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the UK’s manufacturing industry slipped to 46.5 in June from 47.1 [...]
Octopus’ EV leasing business secures £150m to turbocharge electric car take up June 20, 2023 Octopus Electric Vehicles, the energy company’s electric car leasing business, has secured a £150m funding boost, taking its two-year total fundraising total to £650m. The funding will help finance Octopus’ employee benefit scheme, which gives employees at firms who opt in a chance to save around 30-40 per cent by providing the electric vehicle, charger [...]
EV transition could be fast-tracked by more than a decade if people buy second hand, says report June 7, 2023 The UK’s EV transition could be fast-tracked by over a decade if the country makes more use of the second-hand electric vehicle (EV) market, a new report shows. Research from the Green Finance Institute found that accessing the used EV market could boost uptake in the UK by as much as 17m, should barriers including [...]
Investment slump amid higher interest rates risks finally sparking UK recession June 6, 2023 A mix of factors are buffeting the UK economy right now. Spending power is being crushed by high inflation eroding family finances. House prices are coming off their heady heights as sellers drop prices to source buyers amid higher mortgage rates. External demand is thinning in response to weak consumer confidence amid a global cost [...]
New car sales are on the up as supply chain issues ease June 5, 2023 Sales of new cars in the UK increased again last month, new figures out today revealed, marking the tenth successive month of sales growth.
A healthy motor industry for the UK needs gigafactories like the one Tata will build June 5, 2023 The Tata gigafactory could be an opportunity to reflect on what the government should and shouldn't do to support the vital, but hard-pressed, British motor industry, writes Geoffrey Owen