Motor finance legal battle set for February 2027 Banking The City watchdog has confirmed that the legal battle over its motor finance redress scheme will take place early next year following widespread backlash against its multi-billion-pound programme. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will face challenges from three lenders, Volkswagen Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, and Crédit Agricole Auto Finance, as well as the advocacy [...]
Is VW’s ID. Tiguan the EV the ID.4 should have been? Motoring Volkswagen is retiring the ID.4 and putting its best-selling SUV name on the replacement. Early prototype drives suggest it’s quieter and comfier, but the charging hasn’t moved on as much as it should have. Volkswagen’s ID naming never quite stuck with buyers, and the company seems to have admitted as much. The ID.2 became the [...]
Volkswagen takes £725m hit from motor finance scandal Banking The finance arm of Volkswagen has taken a mammoth hit from the motor finance scandal plunging it to a loss for the year. Volkswagen Financial Services UK (VWFS) set aside £725m for expected expenses under the City watchdog’s industry-wide car finance redress scheme, according to new account filings. The provision swung the firm to a [...]
‘Serious concern’: City watchdog accused of withholding information in motor finance row October 7, 2026 The City watchdog is coming under pressure to release its communications with the Treasury and modelling data for its controversial motor finance redress scheme, City AM can reveal. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is facing legal challenges from the finance arms of Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz as well as French-owned CA Auto Finance over its [...]
VW-backed car hire giant plunges to £43m loss as tax hikes bite September 25, 2026 One of the UK’s biggest car hire businesses has taken aim at government tax hikes after it plunged to a £43.2m loss. Europcar UK, which is backed by German carmaker VW, recorded a profit of £7m in 2024 but its fortunes went into reverse gear a year later amid rising costs and weak demand. Europcar [...]
Class action vehicle lawsuit settles at £55m less than original value September 24, 2026 A class action lawsuit representing millions of UK motorists and businesses affected by inflated shipping fees has settled for £57m less than its original £150m target. The claim, brought by class action representative and former Which? campaigns specialist Mark McLaren, alleged that from October 2006 to September 2015, leading European shipping companies had breached competition [...]
Audi’s brought back the A2, and it’s gone electric August 19, 2026 More than 20 years after the original disappeared from showrooms, Audi is bringing back the A2 as a compact electric hatchback. The new A2 e-tron is expected to offer more than 400 miles of range and cost less than £35,000. Audi is bringing back the A2, more than two decades after its famously clever little [...]
Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig face ownership shake-up after 50+1 ruling August 12, 2026 Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Wolfsburg face ownership overhauls after Germany’s competition watchdog ruled they are non-compliant with the country’s 50+1 rule. The rule mandates that all football clubs must be majority controlled by members but Leverkusen, Leipzig and Wolfsburg have historically benefited from loopholes. In its final decision on a long-running challenge [...]
Volkswagen California 2026 review: plenty of room at the Hotel California July 24, 2026 Britain’s best-selling vehicle so far in 2026 is the Ford Puma. Visit the south coast in holiday season, though, and you’d swear the Volkswagen California occupies that top spot. Whether trapped in tourist traffic, parked beside the beach or looking cool on a campsite, these things are everywhere. Volkswagen campers have enjoyed cult status since [...]
FCA boss takes aim at motor finance lenders and claims firms July 15, 2026 The boss of the City watchdog has taken a fresh swipe at the parties opposing the regulator’s motor finance redress scheme. Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), told the Treasury Committee that he was “concerned about the integrity of the claims management market” and took a shot at lenders for trying [...]