Can the government hit the targets in its 10 point climate plan? November 18, 2020 Last night Boris Johnson unveiled his much-touted 10 point plan to drive a “green industrial revolution” in the UK, creating 250,000 jobs in the process. Featuring commitments in sectors such as heating, wind power, nuclear energy, hydrogen and electric vehicles, it has been largely positively received by industry. However, some are concerned that some areas [...]
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.
Covid-19 and “stakeholder capitalism”: actions speak louder than words October 19, 2020 The idea that companies should be run for the benefit of all their stakeholders, not just shareholders, is not new. “Stakeholder capitalism”, as it’s become known, was actually the dominant corporate model long before “shareholder primacy” (i.e. prioritising shareholders) really took hold in the Anglo-Saxon world in the 1970s. It remains the norm in some [...]
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.
Tata Motors denies it plans to sell its stake in Jaguar Land Rover August 17, 2020 Tata Motors has denied reports it plans to sell its stake in Jaguar Land Rover after talks with the government to secure a rescue package broke down. Talks with the carmaker and Tata Steel, which are both owned by the Indian conglomerate Tata Group, broke down after the Treasury concluded the group did not qualify [...]
SMMT: New UK car sales rise 11 per cent post-lockdown August 5, 2020 New UK car sales rose for the first time this year in July as dealerships enjoyed their first full month of trading since reopening after lockdown. According to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), registrations rose 11.3 per cent last month as pent-up demand and special offers tempted consumers to [...]
Sowing the seeds for the next stage of fintech success July 27, 2020 Fintech in the UK has grown at breakneck speed. In 2010 it accounted for just four per cent of venture capital investment in the UK. A decade later, this figure has risen to 28 per cent, with a record $4.9bn of capital investment landing in the UK in 2019 — a year-on-year increase of more [...]
Close Brothers’ banking division takes a hit amid pandemic July 22, 2020 Close Brothers Group’s banking division has taken a hit due to the pandemic, as its loan book reflected lower new business volumes. However, securities division Winterflood helped to offset some of the impact of coronavirus due to significantly higher trading, the group said in a scheduled pre-close trading update. The figures In the group’s banking [...]
UK car sales sink 35 per cent in June despite post-lockdown restart July 6, 2020 UK new car sales plunged a third in June despite the easing of lockdown measures, new data showed today, after worse falls in April and May. New car registrations sank 34.9 per cent in June year on year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). But that marked what the body called [...]
FCA to extend coronavirus relief for car finance and high-cost credit July 3, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed extending coronavirus relief measures for consumers with car financing products or high-cost credit until the end of October. The watchdog this morning set out options for supporting consumers with motor finance or high-cost credit products, such as buy now pay later, rent-to-own or pawnbroking. The FCA first introduced [...]