Edmund V King OBE

Great piece from City AM' Guy Taylor Experts say the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)’s private sales data, which is the most widely used metric in the UK automotive industry industry, is “flawed” and “inaccurate.” They argue consumers are increasingly buying EVs using salary sacrifice schemes, which allow employees to deduct a monthly sum from their pay to lease EVs at far lower cost. “How individuals purchase EVs is often overlooked, due to the way data is represented, especially in the figures from the SMMT,” Fiona Howarth, chief executive of Octopus Electric Vehicles, told City A.M. “Let’s be clear, salary sacrifice cars are on the driveways of typical drivers – they’re used for the school run, weekly shop and family trips, so why should they be counted as fleet cars?” she said. Quentin Willson, the motoring journalist and founder of the campaign group FairCharge, said: “We need to capture accurate end user data to get a clearer picture of the split between private and fleet. The anti-EV narrative claiming that private buyer interest in EVs has waned is being supported by inaccurate data.” Mike Hawes Sam Salehi Amy Rennison Ben Nelmes New AutoMotive Octopus Energy BOLD Voodoo Dr. Andy Palmer CMG Ian Johnston ChargeUK Vicky Read Osprey Charging Network Read here: https://lnkd.in/eiKKmQ7W

6

Today's announcement of a £500 million investment in zero-emission buses by The Go-Ahead Group raises some important questions about the future of UK bus manufacturing. This deal with Wrightbus, which will support up to 500 jobs and fund the production of up to 1,200 buses,  more than 90% of them will be zero-emission, comes at a time when calls for prioritising British bus manufacturers in public procurement are gaining momentum. This significant order for a domestic manufacturer has won enthusiastic support from Transport Secretary Louise Haigh - we rarely get a press release from the Department for Transport heralding a bus order! She comments about creating the right conditions for businesses to flourish and launching a new UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel that will bring together industry experts to maintain the UK's leadership in bus production. It suggests a growing governmental focus on bolstering domestic manufacturing. There has been much discussion lately surrounding the increasing competition from foreign rivals in the zero-emission bus space. We recently reported in Passenger Transport on growing unease about the dominance of international players. Indeed, it was a big fringe discussion topic at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. Go-Ahead's major order with Wrightbus aligns with these broader ambitions. It will be interesting to see how this plays out alongside the government's upcoming Buses Bill and whether future initiatives will further emphasise supporting British manufacturers in the race to build a transport future fit for Net Zero. #ZeroEmission #PublicTransport #UKManufacturing #BusIndustry #NetZero

71

The UK automotive industry has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, setting out a series of measures needed to support consumer demand for EVs. NGOs will point to one month's worth of sales data to argue that the ZEV Mandate is working, but the annual registration data shows EV sales remain stubbornly below the 22% ZEV mandate target for 2024. Stimulating consumer demand will help the UK to meet green targets, while avoiding the need for UK companies to buy credits from foreign firms. https://lnkd.in/eiXYmpzA

11

Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom, tells Fleet News it will publish details in "due course" to reinstate the 2030 phase-out date for sales of new #petrol and #diesel #cars. But it remains tight-lipped on whether it will also bring the date forward for sales of new fossil fuelled #vans. #fleetmanagement #fleetoperations #electricvans #DfT

4

Perhaps the gormless politicos and mandarins who thought,god-like, they could mandate 22% of new car sales this year to be BEVs -ignoring the industrial consequences of £15k fines for each car missing target - will reflect on Stellantis UK CEO Maria Davino's apocalyptic warning at the SMMT summit: Back down, or Ellesmere Port and Luton van production could well leave the UK. Goodbye 2,500 jobs and a near-mortal blow UK's auto sector. Empty threat? Stellantis not yet holding gun to govt head. But sheer stupidity of the mandate beggars belief. Market demand not much more than half that. Private buyers shunning BEVs - so Stellantis and other makers, absurdly, face slashing output of ICE cars and vans so as not to incur fines of £15k per car. So just imagine market and output impact of the mandate requiring further % rises to reach 80% by 2035, let alone the 2030 deadline Starmer plans to reimpose. If actual market DEMAND for BEVs was 50% of, say, a 2m new car market of, say, 2m. the industry would have to restrict more sellable ICEs to 250k - a market loss of 3/4m units, UK supply chains and dealer networks dead, exodus of Stellantis & Co. Total madness, of course. Battery tech advances, H2, fuel cells etc may eventually save the day- but the 22% mandate is a crisis already looming.

3

1 Comment

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Outlines Key Priorities for the next West Midlands   As we approach the West Midlands Mayoral election on 2nd May 2024, FSB has put together a Mayoral Manifesto to help the candidates understand the challenges faced by our members across the West Midlands Combined Authority catchment area, namely; #Birmingham, #Solihull, #Coventry, #Wolverhampton, #Walsall, #Dudley and #Sandwell. This Manifesto outlines areas the Mayor could tackle to help aid small businesses and bolster inclusive growth. This year marks FSB’s 50th anniversary, having been established in 1974 to help our members succeed in business - we are a non-profit making and non-party political organisation that’s led by our members, for our members. In the #WestMidlands we are a trusted voice for small business with more than 10,000 members across the region. We aim to represent anyone and everyone running a business or with aspirations to start a business. With SMEs making up over 99.6% of the indigenous 254,640 enterprises in the West Midlands, 253,575 (99.6 per cent) are small and medium-sized enterprises and, of these, more than 84.2 per cent are sole traders and micro businesses (employing 0-9 employees), it’s easy to see that the West Midlands economy will not be able to boost productivity, tackle the climate emergency or have inclusive growth without small businesses. Small businesses are not only at the heart of the West Midlands economy, they are also at the heart of West Midlands communities. They create local jobs, grow and keep wealth within a local economy and provide vital local services. Our small businesses support communities in the good times and, as we have seen, stick around when the going is not so good. Our manifesto suggests ways that small businesses can help the Mayor create a thriving West Midlands, a successful economy and vibrant communities.   https://lnkd.in/e8ERHqh3 Linsey MIED Mike Goodall Lee Osborne Sue...Sue Tonks Hollie Whittles Rob Harrison Hemant Kalidas Ray Hickinbottom- Supporting Small Businesses Lianne Phillips FSB- Helping Small Businesses Grow Roger Poynton

16

2 Comments

Get cracking on building your own company driving for work policy with the guiding hand of Driving for Better Business

7

1 Comment

EVA England publishes EV Drivers’ Manifesto https://lnkd.in/ezidbxhv EVA England has launched a manifesto that identifies the areas it feels are essential to address as the uptake of electric vehicles grows. The EV Drivers’ Manifesto 2024 has been structured around the five key pillars: 1. Fairer charging costs 2. Liberate charging provision 3. Lower insurance premiums 4. Enforce accessibility standards 5. Democratise EV uptake and drive demand Despite hugely encouraging numbers in uptake, EV sales remain concentrated in higher income brackets, says EVA England. Targeted, cost-effective schemes should be implemented to enable lower-income households to take part in the green transition, for example by mandating salary sacrifice schemes, and offering highly targeted social leasing schemes and 0% loans already implemented in other countries. James Court, chief executive of EVA England, said: “This manifesto puts EV drivers themselves at the heart of future policy, and shows the way forward for the winner of the next general election. 92% of drivers are overwhelmingly satisfied with the EV experience, making the future of sustainable mobility such an exciting prospect. “The manifesto is a blueprint to maintaining this positive outlook, presenting solutions to ensuring our charging infrastructure continues to grow and meet all needs, and that EV costs allow the transition to be fair and equal. EVA England look forward to working with policymakers to make this happen.” Read more on EVolution: https://lnkd.in/dBEDZDSc #electriccars #electriccharging #cars #drivers #energy

1

Interesting developments as some manufacturers start to put electric vehicles quotas on larger orders, e.g. insisting that 10% of the order must be BEVs, in an attempt to meet the UK ZEV mandate targets. Others, including Ford Motor Company and Stellantis, have both warned they could restrict sales of ICE vehicles this year as a response to the mandate. Full story on Fleet News, reported by Gareth Roberts, following a discussion on the April Fleet News at 10 #webinar #electricvehicles #electriccars #electricvans #fleets #fleetnews #fleetmanagement

9

1 Comment

Our latest “Meet the Podcaster” profile features Jamie Butters, host of the Automotive News Daily Drive, who’s sharing new and interesting insights in the industry. Learn more about the podcast and what Jamie looks for in a podcast guest and more: https://bit.ly/4941W2w #AutomotivePR #MediaRelations #Podcast

10

Why government’s perverse #electric car quotas are 'political suicide’ & should be ditched Read me @DailyMailUK⁩ @MailOnline #ZEVMandate #EV #consumer ⁦@vertumotorsCEO⁩ ⁦@SMMT⁩ @VauxhallPR⁩ ⁦@jertownsend⁩ ⁦@jreynoldsMP @Stellantis #transport #cars #automotive #Stellantis #jobs #politics #investment Online at; https://lnkd.in/eTKnGU6m

2

In this week’s Car Dealer Briefing – just published on Substack – I give my opinion on whether the online-only used car sales model really is dead and buried for good. There’s also some moving and shaking in the used car supermarket world with Sytner finishing the rebanding of its former Carshop stores. But why did it bother? And I look at Big’s confirmed deal to buy three Carshop sites, Mon Motors’ purchase of a bunch of Heritage VW Group franchises, and Romans International’s drop in profits. Also featured in this week’s briefing are: – Group 1 profits – Motorpoint – Car production figures  – Auto Trader’s new car stats – Trade Centre site closure – Aston Martin losses – Tesla’s robots – Ken Brown closures You can read this issue for free as a new subscriber on Substack. Sign up for a free trial to get access to it now: https://lnkd.in/eyKT7u8D

15

What is sustainable mobility? What does it mean to you, as a #fleet decision-maker? Fleet News has announced the launch of Sustainable Mobility Week, running from November 11-15, in association with Ayvens to find out. We hope you enlighten you by providing insights and thought-provoking features on sustainable mobility solutions that will help you meet your decarbonisation goals. Keep an eye on our website during that week. We'll also hear from fleets that are utilising sustainable mobility solutions, while Ayvens is surveying the fleet sector on five big topics (details in the story, linked below) which will run across the week. #mobility #fleetnews #ayvens #fleetmanager #fleetoperations #decarbonisation #electric

5

Genuinely remarkable things happening in the EV market. This is from our latest story: "A raft of new [BEV] models [drove] the strongest growth this year, up 24.5 per cent to reach a 20.7 per cent share of the market," the SMMT said. "UK new car buyers now have more than 125 different BEV models to choose from - an uplift of 38 per cent over the last 10 months. While it remains the case that the average BEV has a higher upfront cost than an ICE equivalent, widening choice and huge manufacturer discounting mean that around one in five BEV models now has a lower purchase price than the average petrol or diesel car, especially for buyers able to take advantage of schemes such as salary sacrifice." Just as predicted, economies of scale and policy levers are driving down the upfront cost of EVs and drivers are responding. The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate should now be comfortably met for this year and there are good reasons to think the trend will continue. Yes, there are still barriers to EV adoption and charge points need to become more ubiquitous still, but the market really is shifting fast. https://lnkd.in/edCXy5RC

4

2 Comments

Today's announcement from Alexander Dennis, one of the UK's leading bus manufacturers, that it has launched a consultation on potential manufacturing redundancies raises an important question: are we inadvertently undermining British manufacturing in our drive toward zero-emission buses? I'm a strong advocate for zero-emission technology and electrification - there's no question that they're vital for tackling climate change and reducing urban pollution. But when companies like Alexander Dennis are forced to consult on redundancies despite record levels of government funding, it highlights a real issue: foreign imports from lower-cost economies are dominating the zero-emission bus market. British manufacturers, who invest in skilled jobs, apprenticeships, and local communities, risk losing these valuable assets due to policies that fail to support them. The move to greener transport is necessary, but is it coming at the cost of homegrown manufacturing? Should the market decide, or should we protect industries that create domestic value and offer better employment standards? Some countries employ tariffs or trade measures to protect domestic manufacturing - the UK isn’t doing that. While competition is healthy, should government funding align with broader goals, such as job creation and economic resilience in the UK? As we push for a zero-emission future, it's worth asking whether we're missing the bigger picture. Should the market decide, or is there a clear need for a more balanced approach supporting both environmental goals and British manufacturing? That balanced approach would ensure a sustainable future for both our environment and economy.

82

14 Comments

Rosy picture for used car prices as June chalks up a minor 0.1% fall in values - Used car market remains stable in June - Experts predict July may even see a rise - Poor performing EVs drag average used car prices down overall - Top 10 biggest rising and falling used car prices also revealed Thanks to Derren Martin for chatting to me again for a long-overdue video catch up. Watch our chat in the post below and read the latest on the used car market. https://lnkd.in/ewsCgkDH

17

If you've been in the market for a new EV in recent months, you've no doubt noticed the discount bonanza on these models. The low monthly payment leases in particular have become a hugely popular way to buy a new EV. Turns out those discounts, finance deals and bargain-basement lease deals are bleeding into the used car market. The average price of a 3-year-old EV dropped 25% between Jan. 2023 and Sept. 2024, and those EVs are now cheaper on average than a gas car of a similar age. The big question is: What happens when all those leased EVs come back to the dealer in two to three years? Those low monthly payments imply a residual value that's probably not going to prove to be correct, based on current trends. https://lnkd.in/gCJTvThs

23

Vehicle grading by the National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) is now in sessions for used vans, after 12 years of applying only to cars. NAMA advisor Paul Hill explains how the scheme has been tailored for LCVs in the latest What Van?, including a focus on the loading area and why grading does not apply to aftermarket specialist equipment: https://bit.ly/3Nezu4c   Thoughts also from Cox Automotive Europe Insight director Philip Nothard on the scheme’s potential impact on the used vehicle market. #usedvans #usedLCVs #van #LCV #auctions #dealers #trade #grading #valuations 

4

1 Comment

The recent announcement by the King marks a significant shift in the management of England’s public transport system. The new Government is set to introduce legislation to bring bus and rail services more closely under public control, including the public ownership of train operators. Turning to buses, key elements of the proposed Better Buses Bill include: ➡️ Granting local leaders new powers to franchise local bus services. ➡️ Lifting restrictions on the creation of new publicly-owned bus operators. This legislation aims to safeguard local bus networks by: ➡️ Enhancing accountability over bus operators. ➡️ Ensuring higher standards across the country. ➡️ Providing local leaders with greater control and flexibility over bus funding. The implications of this could be potentially huge. Interesting times ahead!

11

4 Comments