Fettling His Matiz - 7 December 2021

FOLLOW UP: MORGAN HINTS AT FUTURE DESIGNSRecently the chaps discussed the new appointment of Matthew Hole as CTO and idly wondered what that would mean for future designs. Seems Morgan heard, well, okay, they probably didn’t, but let’s not dwell on that as they have teased out some sketch designs of how future Morgan’s could look. To find out more, click the Morgan article here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES NOVEMBER 2021 The SMMT has published their monthly new car registration figures, for November, which shows a continued issue due to supply. To read more, click the SMMT link here. SHARP RISE IN CYCLIST DEATHS ON RURAL ROADS89 people lost their life on English rural roads, whilst cycling, in 2020, Department for Transport figures confirm. A campaign from NFU Mutual, British Cycling and British Horse Society has begun to raise awareness in driving to the conditions and dangers of rural roads. For more information, click here for the BBC News article. 1 IN 50 CARS UNINSURED ON UK ROADSThe Government has revealed that it estimates 1 in 50 vehicles on the road, is uninsured, costing approximately £119 million in lost revenue. The suggestion is a mix of affordability and lack of enforcement, as two of the major contributing factors. To read about this, click the Autocar article linked here. RIVIAN APPARENTLY OFFERED SWEETENERS FOR UK FACTORYThe UK Government is, a report states, offering incentives to Rivian so they open a factory in the UK. The sweeteners include changes to the local road infrastructure, dust off a shuttered railway line and develop training facilities. The hope is Rivian invests around £1 billion for the facility near Bristol. In order to learn more about this, click this link here to the Autocar story.VW MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE IN DISCUSSION Reports suggest that Volkswagen CEO, Herbert Diess’s future is under discussion after the Unions raised concern over the job losses touted. We will have to wait to see if this ends up with the departure or lessening of the powers Diess has. In the meantime, you can read more about the matter by clicking this Autocar link. FORD JOINS VW UK CO2 POOL To meet the rules on CO2 limits across a company’s fleet, Ford has joined the Volkswagen Group pool, that also includes SAIC, which is mainly MG Motors. To read more about this move, for 2021, click the Schmidt Automotive Research article link here. ——————————————————————————-If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST——————————————————————————-WRC: ADAMO LEAVES HYUNDAI WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECTThe surprise news, on the day of recording, was released that Andrea Adamo has left Hyundai WRC with immediate effect, although it is “mutually agreed”. Hyundai President Scott Not will take charge for the foreseeable future. This adds further weight to the question if Hyundai will be ready for Monte Carlo. To read more, click the DirtFish article here. To read the official statement from Hyundai, click the link here. NEW NEW CAR NEWSMazda2This is not quite New New Car News, but Mazda has stated that they will be using the Toyota Yaris as the basis for their 2022 Mazda2. They will take advantage of the hybrid and petrol versions. The cars will be available from April. No confirmation of when the current 2 will be taken off sale. For more information, click on the link to the Autocar article here. KIA SportageThe next generation KIA Sportage will go on sale from 15 December 2021, starting at £26, 745, topping out at £43, 495 at the top of the range. The SUV has been designed and engineered with European tastes in mind. There is, for cars in the WLTP era, a wide range of powertrains available, starting with 1.6l petrol and diesels, through mild hybrids and onto plug-in hybrids. For more information, on this very important model in KIA’s lineup, click the Autocar article link here. Suzuki SX4 S-CrossThe 2022 SX4 S-Cross has been revealed by Suzuki. The second generation car has been redesigned and had more bells and whistles thrown at it. Not only has equipment and trim improved but there is more space inside. Prices start at £24,999 and rise to £29,799 for the top of the range Ultra. There is one engine choice, a mild-hybrid 1.4l petrol engine producing 127bhp. To see the upgrades over the outgoing model, click here for the Autocar article. LUNCHTIME READ: THE YOUTUBERS MAKING CLASSIC MOTORING FUN FOR ALL Hagerty are the providers of this week’s Lunchtime Read, talking about three very good options for your viewing pleasure if you fancy something a bit more classic as your motoring pleasure. To read through the article and then visit the channels, click the link here. LIST OF THE WEEK: 12 GIFTS OF PETROLHEAD CHRISTMASStewart Longhurst has compiled a list of 12 gift ideas for the petrolhead in your life, covering a wide range of options and ideas. Click through on the All Torque Digital link here and see if you agree with the chaps and their choice for the number one present. AND FINALLY: PANDAMONIUM M-Sport has got hold of a Mk1 4x4 Panda and breathed some of their magic on it, click the link here to see the video and enjoy their fabulous work. AND AND FINALLY: #AUTOADVENT2021 IS HEREJon Male is back with his two-pronged Auto Advent quiz, where he produces a fiendishly difficult option and a quite difficult version. To jump on board the fun follow Jon on Twitter by clicking the link here. For #AutoAdvent21, click this link here. For #AutoAdventLite21, click here for the link.