Wheels are on fire - 18 July 2023

Public Charge Point Regulations announced The Government has announced that it will bring in laws that require a 99% reliability to the charging network, for rapid chargers, as well as live status updates. Furthermore, new chargers over 8kW must have contactless pay reader fitted. Failure to meet the new regulations could result in a £10,000 fine for each unit that does not satisfy the requirements. Click here to read more, from Autocar. RENAULT-GEELY PARTNERSHIP HQ IN UKWe first discussed the Renault-Geely joint venture back in November 2022, but now they have announced their headquarters will be in the UK. All production will occur outside the UK. They are still in talks with Aramco to join. Much misinformation has occurred over this story, click this Twitter thread from Edwin Hayward that unpicks the lies. If you would like to read more about the actual story, click here for the link from BBC News. RENAULT CUTS DEALERSHIP NUMBERS Renault announced that they are cutting their dealership numbers, by approximately 25% by 2025. The do not plan, at this time, to move to the agency model so many competitors find irresistible at the moment. To find out more, click the link here for the AM Online story. NISSAN AGREES INVESTMENT IN RENAULTNissan has finally agreed a figure of investment in Renault. They are investing around €646 million in Ampere, which equates to a stake of less than 10% when it was expected to be 15%. You can read more, by clicking this electrive article link. NISSAN RECALLS 1.4M CARS GLOBALLYNissan is recalling 1.4 million vehicles globally due to a risk of unintended acceleration in their Note, Kicks, Serena, Leaf models. The Note Aura is being recalled in Japan over a headlight issue. This includes the UK. No accidents have resulted in these matters. Click this Jalopnik article link to learn more. VW MANAGEMENT MUSICAL CHAIRS CONTINUESVolkswagen Group continue to play musical chairs for their senior staff. Stefan Weckbach will fill the role of Group Chief Strategist following Gernot Doellner’s move to CEO of Audi, we discussed in the Moved to Tears - July 4 2023 episode. André Stoffels will replace Thomas Sedran as CARIAD Chief Financial Officer. Andreas Lehe will fill the position at Bentley, Peter Bosch’s move to head up CARIAD created. Simon Bracco will add to the responsibilities of his position as Head of Corporate Quality at Audi to replace Michael Neumayer as head of Group Quality, which he held for less than a year. There are more, but you get the gist, lots of changes and all of it internal. You can find out more by clicking this article link from electrive here. PARIS INTRODUCES PARKING CHARGES BASED ON WEIGHT The full details of the changes to parking levies imposed by the city of Paris are yet to be announced, but size, weight and the motor of the vehicle are due to be part of the calculation. EVs and larger families are expected to avoid increases. SUVs make up 15% of the total vehicle ownership of Paris, having increased 60% in the last four years. More can be found by clicking this article link here, from The Guardian. 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 NEW NEW CAR NEWS - Aston Martin ValourIn celebration of being 110 years old, Aston Martin gives a present to itself, the 705bhp V12 manual Valour, that takes a lot of inspiration from the Victor. There will be 110 made, costing between £1 million and £1.5 million. To learn more, click this Autocar article link here. Caterham Project V Caterham revealed the Project V, an electric three seater sports coupe. With an output of 268bhp and weighing just 1190kg, the 55 kW battery pack gives a range up to 249 miles. 20-80% charging can be achieved in 15 minutes with a 150kW rapid charger (conditions allowing). Starting prices are under £80,000 and takes Caterham into a new market as it has things like a roof and an interior. Whilst we were shown a concept model it is very close to what will come out of the show room in 2026. Click this EVO article link to see more. Hyundai Ioniq 5 NWe all finally got to see the Ioniq 5 N running at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend. 641bhp, four-wheel drive, car will hit 62 from a standing start in 3.4 seconds and top out at 161 mph. The battery is a new larger 84kW unit, but we do not know what range this will give or how much hooning around dents that. 10-80% charging, via a 350kW charger and conditions allowing, will take place in 18 minutes. There are several driving modes, including a drift mode, endurance mode and for the track sprint mode. Lots of work has gone into this car so whilst prices haven’t been announced they are expected to be more than the Kia 6 EVGT. You can learn more from this link to an EVO article. Hyundai Santa FeHyundai has shown us the next generation Santa Fe, their large SUV. The design is a boxey one, with emphasised wheel arches and a flat back. Inside utilises the screen seen in the Ioniq range, for the driver and centre console. Like the Ioniq cars, the interior has gone for a minimalist approach, and from the images so far it is hard to tell what are buttons and what are areas of a touch screen one must prod. Powertrains will be a cross over from the previous model with hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants. These will be improved upon to increase efficiency and range. You can learn more by clicking this Autocar link here. Audi EP4Audi apprentices have built a homage to the NZU Prinz to mark the 150th anniversary of Audi’s Neckarsulm factory. The 236bhp electric motor is in the rear and the batteries fitted in the front. The design makes strong reference to the original’s front and rear lights, as well as the shoulder line and the unmistakable cabin and roof. To see more about this, click here for the Autocar link. LUNCHTIME WATCH: MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TOYOTA HARRIER ZAGATO Once more we are recommending a Kevin McCauley deep dive. This time into the virtually unknown Harrier Zagato. Only 250 were produced and only for the home market of Toyota. Click this YouTube link to find out the story behind this car. LIST OF THE WEEK: EIGHT OF THE BEST THREE-SEATER SPORTS CARSWith the new Caterham and Gordon Murray latest three seater sports cars are back on the agenda. Top Gear has compiled a list of what they think are the best. Do you agree with Andrew’s choice? Do not forget to let us know! Click here to see the options. AND FINALLY: TURNING POTHOLES INTO ARTTim Webb is using a special tactic to raise the issue of potholes near his home in Orpington, hoping that his local council will sort them out. Click this BBC News link to watch a short video and find out more.