Alan chatted to Tim Oldland about his new venture, Raduno Events, a single-point car event listing service. Tim tells us all about how the idea came about, what it aims to provide for both attendees and organisers as well as some of the challenges of launching the service in 2020.

Raduno Events launches on Monday 24th August 2020.

We also talked about some of the other things Tim does, so links to everything discussed are below.

Raduno Website: www.raduno.events

Raduno Instagram: @raduno_events

Raduno Twitter: @raduno_events

Raduno Facebook: @radunoevents

Tim’s “In The Headlights” YouTube channel.

Tim’s classic car part recreation business: Modernclassicparts.com

FOLLOW UP: RENAULT NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES

During last week’s discussion about the SMMT New Car Registration figures the chaps remarked at how impressive the increase by Renault was. Alan has donned his deerstalker and polished his magnifying glass in an effort to investigate why. They had an increase in their core fleet business but also their best-ever month as part of the Motability scheme.

END OF BAILOUT TALKS BETWEEN JLR AND UK GOVERNMENT

JLR and parent company TATA’s talks with the UK Government over financial help have ended. Reports are that the company did not meet the requirements to receive taxpayers funding. Additional sticking points appear to be suggested requirements for an acceleration of their electrification process. TATA has announced that they are continuing to discuss possible options for financial help with the Government. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

NOKIA WINS PATENT RULING AGAINST DAIMLER

Nokia has won a legal dispute, with Daimler, over the use of their patented technology without a license. Daimler is appealing the ruling. In separate actions, Nokia is being investigated for abusing its position in the market, in the EU. The centre of all of this is the fee Nokia charges to license its mobile communication technology, which Daimler and others want to stop being charged on the basis of each car sold. To read more, click the Bloomberg article here.

KUGA PHEV SALES HALTED AND RECALL ISSUED

The newly launched Ford Kuga PHEV has a temporary ban on sales, issued a recall and informed owners to not charge their high-voltage battery until they have had their car serviced and fixed. The exact issue is still unclear. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

TOYOTA TO USE AMAZON CLOUD STORAGE FOR CONNECTED CARS

As part of Toyota’s move to create and offer its next-gen mobility services, they are utilising more of Amazon’s cloud storage and professional services. Some services could be for fleet managers to monitor their service needs or driver behaviour based insurance to access information. To read more, click The Register article here.

MOTORWAY ROADWORK SPEED TO LIMIT TO BE RAISED

Some sections of motorway roadworks are to have their speed limits reevaluated, with the potential to increase up to 60mph. Simon Wickers explained to Andrew why this may be the case and what factors are considered, which you can read by clicking the link here and also clicking here. To read more about the item, click the BBC News article here.

GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION ON AUTOMATED LANE KEEPING ASSIST SYSTEMS

In the next potential step for introducing automated technology on the road, the UK Government has launched a consultation about Automated Lane Keeping Assist systems. The system will take over driving the vehicle, in motorway conditions, without direct input from the human driver by regulating the speed, distance from vehicles around and keeping in the lane occupied. To read more, click the link to the official release 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

FORMULA E: SEASON WRAPS UP IN BERLIN

We reach the end of this strange season, with the last two races being at Berlin again, last week. Formula E, the teams, drivers and everyone else associated with the Berlin races deserve a lot of credit for getting this to happen at all.

In Wednesday’s race, Oliver Rowland won for the first time, for the Nissan e.Dams team. To read more about that and how Rowland has improved as a racer, click The Race article here.

The final race of the season resulted in a Mercedes 1-2, with Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries completing a satisfactory debut season. Also, this was Vandoorne’s first Formula E victory. To learn more about what happened, click here for The Race’s article.

For the final standings, click the Forumal E article here.

WRC: JAPAN EXPECTED TO BE REPLACED BY YPRES DUE TO COVID-19

As a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the expectation is that the Japanese leg of the season will be cancelled and replaced by Ypres. To read more, click the DirtFish article here.

LUNCHTIME READ: HOW TO HAVE THE BEST DRIVE OF YOUR LIFE

Andrew Frankel has written a wonderfully optimistic piece in Autocar about getting back out on the open road and how to enjoy the experience. Key to this is preparing yourself and your car. To read through the advice from Mr Frankel, click the article here. Once you’ve read it, followed it and gone for a drive get in touch with us to tell us where you went and how it was!

LIST OF THE WEEK: TOP GEAR’S TOP 9 - EVERYTHING’S BETTER WITH SPOTLIGHTS EDITION

Top Gear has put together a list of cars that look superb with extra spotlights attached to them. To run through them all, click the link here.

AND FINALLY: NEW HYUNDAI EMPLOYEE COLLARED

At A Hyundai dealership, in Brazil, a stray dog kept turning up, and kept turning up, and kept turning up. In the end, they adopted him and gave him an employee badge. To read more about this heartwarming story, click the BoredPanda link here.

AND FINALLY FINALLY: ZOOM ZOOMERS CALL

Alan takes part in a gathering of folks from the motoring world, on a Monday night, run by Damien Cross. If you would like to see last Monday’s meet up please click the YouTube link here.

FOLLOW UP: FOUR EX-AUDI EMPLOYEES CHARGED IN GERMANY

In Germany, three ex-Audi executives and a retired engineer have been charged over #dieselgate. Ulrich Hackenberg, Stefan Knirsch, Bernd Martens and Richard Bauder are accused of fraud, false certification and criminal advertising. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here.

FOLLOW UP: VW LOSES UK APPEAL AGAINST GROUP ACTION

Volkswagen has lost its appeal against the attempt of a group action lawsuit for compensation to those who bought a VW Group car with diesel engines fitted with, what the court has confirmed is, ‘defeat devices’. The case is not expected to start until 2022. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

FOLLOW UP: LEVANDOWSKI SENTENCED

Bringing to an end the messy chapter of Anthony Levandowski, stolen trade secrets and Uber trying to create autonomous taxis, Levandowski has been sentenced to prison for 12 months which he will serve once Covid-19 has receded. To read more, click the BBC News article here.

NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR JULY 2020

In a rare and probably brief moment, there is good news from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders as July showed a double-digit increase in registrations on 2019. To read more click here for the SMMT article and charts.

JLR LOSE REGISTERED DESIGN CASE

In a lengthy legal process, starting with a case to cancel the registered design for the Defender, brought by INEOS against Jaguar Land Rover, finally culminating in JLR losing in the court of appeal a design patent for the Defender. The original decision was made on 21 November 2018, to read the original ruling, click the link here. To read more about the design patent matters, click the Autocar article here, but note there is confusion in the reporting on this between trademark and design patent. Thanks to Lee Walton for clarification on the case but also to Ed Callow who was mentioning this whilst no one else was over a year ago.

TESLA WIPER CONTROLS LAND DRIVER IN TROUBLE

A German driver was prosecuted under the nation’s same laws as using a phone behind the wheel when altering the speed of the wipers via the touch screen which resulted in a crash. Who knew putting controls on a screen that takes eyes from the road is dumb? To read more, click the BBC News article here.

TESLA IN TROUBLE OVER MISLEADING DESCRIPTIONS FOR AUTOPILOT

Another German court has ruled that Tesla must stop using misleading descriptions for its Autopilot software, such as “full potential for autonomous driving” and “Autopilot inclusive”. They have also been told off for their advert suggesting self-driving cars are allowed on German roads. To read more, click The Register article here.

UK’S FIRST DUTCH-STYLE ROUNDABOUT OPENS

Cambridge, where else, has installed the UK’s first Dutch-style roundabout that prioritises cyclists instead of cars. To see more, click Joe Giddens tweet 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

FORMULA E: MANY, MANY RACES AND A TITLE WINNER

With two races left in the season, Antonio Felix da Costa won the 2019/20 season with DS Techeetah, who also claimed the constructor title. To read about that, click here for The Race’s take on the event. To read about why da Costa won the title click here for another The Race article. However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light in the Techeetah stable, one race saw Vergne become furious with his teammate and the team at large for the failure of the pre-race plan to be followed. To read more about that, click another The Race article here.

In other news, Blomqvist is replacing Calado at Jaguar for the remaining two races. Calado’s season has been poor. To read more, click The Race article here.

24HR LE MANS TO RUN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

An official statement from Automobile Club de l'Ouest has confirmed that whilst the race will still take place, there can be no crowds. Seems that the Virtual 24hr Le Mans was a dry run for the real thing this year. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

LUNCHTIME READ: INTRODUCTION TO G8 TFX

Lewis Kingston has written a wonderful Long-Term Report on his C4 Corvette. To read more, which we obviously encourage you to do, click the Yes Auto article here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: ESTATE OF MIND - FIVE LUXURY LOAD-LUGGERS

Not2Grand is the provider of this week’s List of the Week, as the country holidays and the roads become clogged with SUVs Chris Pollitt offers some alternatives that will do more than your jacked-up hatchback. To read through, click the link here.

AND FINALLY: BUY A CAR AND BE ON TV

TV’s Paul Cowland is filming a new show, where he helps someone buy the perfect car for their needs, within their budget. If you wish to get involved click here for the link to his Tweet with the info.

AND FINALLY: ZOOM ZOOMERS CALL

Alan takes part in a gathering of folks from the motoring world, on a Monday night, run by Damien Cross. If you would like to see last Monday’s meet up please click the YouTube link here.

FOLLOW UP: VW ASKS FOR REVIEW OF EMISSIONS UPDATE PENALTIES

Volkswagen has asked the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to review the penalties being imposed by two counties after their emission system updates. To find out more visit the Automotive News article here.

THOMAS SCHAFER IS NEW SKODA BOSS

Thomas Schafer succeeds Bernard Maier as the new boss of Skoda. Unsurprisingly, Schafer has been appointed from within Volkswagen. To read more, click through to the Autocar article here.

FORD CEO JIM HACKETT TO RETIRE

Ford CEO and President Jim Hackett has announced he will retire on 1st October, to be replaced by current COO Jim Farley. There’s more in the Autocar article here.

THIERRY BOLLORÉ IS NEW JLR CEO

The former Renault boss will take over from Prof. Sir Ralf Speth on 10th September. Speth will stay on a non-executive vice-chairman. You can find out more in the Car article here.

JLR ANNOUNCE “SIGNIFICANT IMPACT” OF COVID-19

Unsurprisingly, JLR sales are down significantly as a result of global COVID-19 lockdowns, but with sales “only” down 42% seems to have remained more stable than most. There’s more analysis in this Autocar article.

MITSUBISHI PULLS OUT OF EUROPE

A corporate decision at Mitsubishi sees it suspending the introduction of new models to Europe in order to focus on other markets. There’s more information in this Motor Trade News article.

REPORT CALLS FOR AD BAN FOR LARGE POLLUTING CARS

A report from a “green think tank” and a climate change charity says adverts should be banned for vehicles over 4.8 metres long or emitting more than 160g CO2/km. Click through to the BBC article here.

FUEL TAX REVENUE PLUNGES DURING LOCKDOWN

This week’s “story of the obvious” is about how the UK Government lost £2.4 billion of tax revenue during the lockdown as the country used less petrol and diesel. For more information, click through to this Motoring Research article.

HIGHWAY CODE COULD INTRODUCE A HIERARCHY OF ROAD USERS

A new consultation document is looking to improve safety for all road users. One of the proposals is to give greater protections to cyclists, pedestrians, and horse riders through a number of means including introduction of the “Dutch Reach” and clarification of existing rules. There’s more in this Motoring Research article and you can read and contribute to the consultation document here.

PARKING SENSORS DETRIMENTAL TO DRIVER SAFETY

A survey of Fleet managers shows that 70% of fleet managers either agreed or strongly agreed that technologies such as parking sensors de-skilled drivers to the detriment of driver safety. That feels very wrong, but you can read more in this article from Fleet News.

FORMULA E: IT’S BACK IN BERLIN

Formula E will be back before you read this. The 6 races at Berlin Templehof, using 3 different track layouts on the former airport begin on Wednesday 5th August and will end the series for 2019/2020.

To find out more about some of the changes to FormulaE over the last few months, click here to an article from The Race.

To find out how you can follow these rounds of the championship, click here for the viewers’ guide.

LUNCHTIME READ: Citroen 2CV

To commemorate thirty years since the manufacture of the last Citroen 2CV, Gavin Braithwaite-Smith has written an excellent article charting the history fo the iconic French car. You can read the article, and marvel at the period press pics, via this link to the Retro Motor website.

DESIGNERS’ MOOD BOARD: GILLES VIDAL JOINS RENAULT

Former, and very recent, head of design at Peugeot, Gilles Vidal, is to join the design team at Renault. There’s more information in this Autocar article.

LIST OF THE WEEK: THE EIGHT BEST 3-SPOKE ALLOY WHEELS EVER MADE

Allegedly a niche article, this week’s list from Goodwood Road and Racing discusses the potential delight of the 3-spoke alloy wheel. Read the article and choose your favourite here.

AND FINALLY: GORDON MURRAY T50

Everyone else is talking about this son-of-McLaren-F1 so we felt that we should do to. Alan, like the back of the car, is a fan… You can read the Autocar article about it here.

AND FINALLY: ZOOM ZOOMERS CALL

Alan takes part in a gathering of folks from the motoring world, on a Monday night, run by Damien Cross. If you would like to see last Monday’s meet up please click the YouTube link here.

FOLLOW UP: OLIVER SCHMIDT TO FINISH SENTENCE IN GERMANY

Former VW executive, Oliver Schmidt, has been granted permission by a Detroit judge to complete the rest of his sentence in a German prison. To read more, click the Reuters article here.

FOLLOW UP: AUDI TO RUN SOFTWARE ARM OF VW

Dirk Hilgenberg will replace Christain Senger as the head of VW Group’s Car.Software division. This will also coincide with the main office of the division moving to Ingolstadt and Audi. To read more, click the Reuters article here.

FOLLOW UP: E-SCOOTERS STOPPED ON A19

Less than a week after the e-scooter trial opened in the Tees Vally, teenagers were stopped and escorted from the A19 dual carriageway, where they were found travelling at 12mph. Some are questioning if they have broken any laws, although rental and trial rules state they should not be ridden on roads with a limit of more than 40mph. To read more, click the Independent article here.

ELLESMERE PORT REOPENS FOR PRODUCTION

Positive news from Vauxhall, as they announce that Ellesmere Port will be reopening to production from 17 August, in a gradual and controlled manner. To read more, including some of the measures they’re putting in place to be safe, click the Vauxhall press release here.

DVLA WARNS OF DELAYS FOR MOTORISTS

Due to the pandemic, the DVLA is warning motorists of delays to processing their requests. This is particularly concerned with paper application of driving licenses, logbook changes and the likes. We are all being encouraged to use the digital processes, to help speed matters along. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here.

CAR FINANCE ASSISTANCE EXTENDED

The Financial Conduct Authority has announced that help for those struggling to pay their car finance will have assistance packages extended a further three months. This is in line with the help announced for mortgages. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here.

CAR-SHARING LIKELY CAUSE IN LOCAL SPIKE

A spike of Covid-19 cases, in Northampton and Kettering, is being put down to car-sharing by local health experts. This does raise the concern, for Richard and Andrew, is how much at risk driving instructors are too, due to the confined nature of their working day? To read more, click the Northamptonshire Telegraph here.

TFL FACES LEGAL CHALLENGE OVER CONGESTION CHARGE

Following the recent ‘temporary’ increase in the Congestion Charge, TfL is being taken to court. From the 22 June, the rate increased to £15, runs for longer during the day and now is in place seven days a week. That there was an increase was conditional to their bailout funding from the Government, however, the extent of it was at the discretion of the Mayor of London and TfL. To read more, click the FleetWorld article here.

For an insight into the man now running Transport for London, click on the Evening Standard article here. Not great news if you own a car.

DECARBONISING WALES REPORT RELEASED

The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, of the Welsh Parliament, has released their report into the plans to decarbonise Welsh transport. As has become a regular theme, the private car is not seen as the future, with only grudging acceptance it must be mentioned at all. This seems a particularly strange act considering how little of the country is served by public transport and good road networks. To read more, click the report here.

MOTO TRIALING MOTORWAY PETROL PRICE CUTS

Motorway service station operator, Moto, is trialling reduced fuel prices across three sites, to evaluate the viability of doing so across its entire network. If successful, Moto will reduce fuel prices to the local average. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here.

RENAULT ZOE VAN REVEALED

Renault has revealed a commercial vehicle variant of their small EV, the Zoe. Whilst the doors remain, along with the 245-mile range, the windows will be tinted, rear seats removed and a rubber flooring put in place. As Andrew and Richard discuss, this seems like a cracking vehicle for the tricky ‘last-mile’ issue we are constantly told needs to be addressed. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

MODERN CLASSICS MAGAZINE FOLDS

There is the sad news that Modern Classics magazine has now published its last edition. A deal for a new buyer could not be finalised, and so after four years and 52 excellent editions, the publication has come to an end. We wish all the staff affected by this the best of luck in finding work quickly. To read more, click the Press Gazzette article here.

This does act as a reminder to us all though if you like an outlet that produces content you enjoy, find a way to financially support them if you can. We cannot expect excellent articles, films and stories for us to read, watch and hear to be free.

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

FORMULA E: HARTLEY PARTS WITH DRAGON

Brendon Hartley has suddenly left Dragon Formula E team. Very few details are available but Hartley was not having a good debut season, with a lack of pace from the car not helping matters. To read more, click The Race article here.

WRC: COMPRESSED CALENDAR REVEALED

WRC has revealed the new compressed 2020 calendar. The reduction in events combined with them being held at new times in the year will further complicate the race engineer’s plans. To read more, click the official WRC article here.

TV RECOMMENDATIONS: AN UPDATE

Richard is recommending a couple of TV series you may have missed, which are worth catching up on. The first is a Channel 4 series called “How to Build”, with five episodes being currently available. To select one of those, click the Channel 4 link here.

The second is Vintage Voltage, from Quest, which follows the efforts to convert classic cars to electric-only drive-trains. To watch those, click the Quest link here.

LUNCHTIME READ: THE BEST UK ROADS FOR CAR-TUNING, ACCORDING TO CHASSIS EXPERTS

The Lunchtime Read is an interesting take on the ‘best driving roads in the UK’ as Autocar speak to real car dynamic experts. Included in this is David Pook, who was a guest on episode 69 of Rear View. To find out the roads that help develop some of the finest cars there are, click the link here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: THE MOST INSPIRING PEOPLE IN THE CAR INDUSTRY

Another list from Autocar, this time from the keyboard of Steve Cropley, when he suggests people are inspiring we should all sit up and take note. To run through the list, click the link here.

AND FINALLY: STELLANTIS IS BORN

The merging of PSA and FCA will create a new group called Stellantis, which is apparently derived from Latin and is quite silly really. How often anyone will actually say the name will be seen. To see the official explanation, click the tweet here.

AND FINALLY: ZOOM ZOOMERS CALL

Alan takes part in a gathering of folks from the motoring world, on a Monday night, run by Damien Cross. If you would like to see last Monday’s meet up please click the YouTube link here.

FOLLOW UP: VW FACES DIESELGATE CLAIMS WHERE CARS ARE BOUGHT

An Austrian court sought confirmation from the EU Court of Justice, if it had jurisdiction to proceed on a class action claim. In essence, these cases can take place where the damage has taken place as opposed to where the defendant is domiciled. This potentially opens the floodgates for claims across the EU. To read more, click the Reuters article here.

FOLLOW UP: JUDGE THROWS OUT GM CLAIM AGAIN FCA

The judge presiding over the claim, by General Motors, that FCA had colluded with labor unions for a higher wage cost to GM, has dismissed the case. He stated that their claims initially looked to have merit but once inspected did not hold up. GM has confirmed they will be pursuing this matter in the courts. To learn more, click the Automotive News Europe article here.

FOLLOW UP: PSA VULNERABILITY CLARIFICATION

Last week’s List of the Week included a vulnerability found by Ian Tabor, in his DS5. Andrew did not make it clear that any PSA vehicle with the same unit fitted had the same vulnerability. You will learn more by reading his report on the issue and his closing remarks, which can be found by clicking the link here.

VOLKSWAGEN SOFTWARE BOSS TO BE REPLACED

VW is looking at a replacement for Christian Senger, who has been heading up the new software division within the Group. There have been a number of issues with the software for the ID3 and the latest Golf. Senger will be joining Andreas Renschler and Stefan Sommer, in leaving the company. All three were brought in from outside the Group. To read more, click the Carscoops article here.

SKODA BOSS LEAVING

Bernhard Maier is set to leave Skoda at the end of the month, with no news as to his next move. He took over the helm of the Czech firm from Porsche. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

SUZUKI DROPS JIMNY FROM UK

Suzuki has dropped their small 4x4, the Jimny, from their lineup in the UK, however, they will fulfil orders already placed. This is due to the average CO2 emissions across the fleet, as previously discussed. To read more, about this sad news click the CarScoops article here.

BRITISH GAS SWITCHES TO ELECTRIC

British Gas has placed an order for 1,000 all-electric Vivaro-e vans from Vauxhall. This is the first step in fully electrifying its entire 12,000 fleet by 2030. For Vauxhall, this is a massive shot in the arm for the sales of their first full commercial EV. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here.

CLAIMS GOVERNMENT ROAD BUILDING AT ODDS WITH CO2 LIMITS

A report from Transport for Quality of Life, has claimed that the Government’s plans to invest £27 billion in road building projects would scupper the aim to meet the strict CO2 emission targets. The Government rebuffs these claims, due to out-of-date data being used. However, one aspect that the podcast has mentioned a couple of times, is the mention of brake dust pollution. To read more, click the BBC News article here.

COUNCIL PARKING REVENUE BADLY CUT

Councils, who all rely on revenue from parking, have been hit hard due to an estimated £885 million reduction in income across the country, due to the reduction in travel and free parking offers. Councils are now stuck between encouraging people to return to high streets and potentially putting them off by re-introducing fees. To read more, click the Autocar article 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

FORMULA E: MISSION CONTROL CENTRES BANNED

So-called ‘mission control centres’ are to be policed by the FIA, after they became aware that engineers were working in a support function to the trackside team with additional analysis and advice, for some teams. Added to this fewer operational passes will be allowed, cutting the number to 17. To read more, click The Race article here.

LUNCHTIME READ: CHANGE OUR MINDS - HATCHBACKS DON’T NEED MANUAL GEARBOXES

This week Top Gear provides the thought-provoking article, discussing gearboxes suitable for a hatchback. We encourage you to read it and consider if a car has to have a manual gearbox to be considered a ‘proper car’ or you to be a ‘proper driver’. To read, click the link here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: THE GREATEST CARS FOR CORNERS

As we are a country filled with corners, one may think this could just be a list called The Greatest Cars. Motoring Research has put forward their suggestions for the best cars to enjoy the twisty stuff in. There are some cracking cars, with the odd surprise. To read through, click the link here.

AND FINALLY: ARE CLASSIC CARS ALL BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Si Browse, who runs a classic car hire company, has recorded a short video discussing classic cars, particularly in the current climate of moving everything away from the combustion engine. To watch, click the YouTube video here.

ZOOM ZOOMERS CALL

Alan takes part in a gathering of folks from the motoring world, on a Monday night, run by Damien Cross. If you would like to see last Monday’s meet up please click the YouTube link here.

Alan had a chat with Thomas Cowley about the Rotodama, a forward control cab kit for the Land Rover Discovery chassis dreamt by him and three friends. We talk about how it came about and the challenges of designing and building a vehicle with production in mind.

To find out more about the Rotodama you can visit the website and follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

FOLLOW UP: NORTH EAST ENGLAND TRIALLING E-SCOOTERS FIRST

The first location for trialling e-scooters will be in the North East of the UK, the Tees Valley Mayor announced. Ben Houchen was delighted to be able to provide a location where 100 scooters can test the viability and practicalities of renting e-scooters to the public. To read more, click the BBC News article here.

JUNE 2020 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES

The June New Car Registration figures have been released by SMMT and they’re not as bad as feared, however, they were presented with notes of extreme caution and concern. To find out more, click the SMMT article link here.

ELECTRIC CAR SCRAPPAGE SCHEME REJECTED

The Government has apparently ruled out creating an electric car scrappage scheme. The call by the industry to ask for a scrappage scheme, which has become the defacto stance every time there is a bit of trouble in the market, is predictable yet when ‘low-hanging fruit’ is left untouched seems a bit of a risk. Andrew has “views” after his current experience of the car retail trade. To read more, click the Motoring Research article here.

MERCEDES TO SELL FRENCH SMART FACTORY

Mercedes-Benz has announced it is selling off the Hambach factory, where Smarts are built, as part of their cost-cutting and streamlining process. This brought the news that Ineos, the Defender-that-is-not-a-Defender company, is in talks to take over the site, instead of the previously proposed Welsh or Portuguese locations. The recent announcements have caused the chaps to question further the viability of the Ineos project. To read about Mercedes’s decision to close the factory, click here for the Autocar article. To read about the supposed Ineos interest, click another Autocar article here.

BMW LOOKING AT SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE FOR OPTIONS

BMW has announced that it is considering offering options via a subscription model. This will be a departure from selecting and paying for selected options upfront. As with any change, there has been a lot of negative comments, however, some have thought this is might be something customers will embrace. To read more, click the RoadShow article 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

FORMULA E: ABT GETS NEW SEAT

NIO 333 has announced that Daniel Abt will fill in for Ma, who is unable to complete the season due to travel restrictions. This is a quick turn around for a driver who was out of a job a few weeks ago. To read more, click the NIO 333 tweet here.

FORMULA E: HANKOOK OFFICIAL TYRE SUPPLIERS

Hankook has outbid Michelin to be the official tyre supplier for Gen 3 of Formula E. This has surprised many, as Michelin has a history with the series and has been a major supporter. To read more, click The Race article here.

FORMULA E: KEY APPOINTMENTS MADE

Formula E has appointed senior marketing and branding executives, to help the series in their efforts for more business opportunities to come out of the series. Personnel from McLaren, the International Cricket Council and Manchester United will try to help them fulfil this aim. To read more, click The Race article here.

DESIGNERS MOOD BOARD: KABAN FINDS A HOME WITH VW

Following quite a tumultuous time, professionally, for Jozef Kaban, he is returning to Volkswagen, where he will head up the car brand. Klaus Bischoff is moving upstairs, to look after the group, taking over from Michael Mauer who once again can focus on Porsche’s look. To read more, click the Forbes article here.

LUNCHTIME READ: WHY WE DRIVE REVIEW

This week’s Lunchtime Read is a review of a book, that has shot to the top of both Alan and Andrew’s ‘books we must buy’ list. Michael Crawford has written about the supposed rush towards technology and autonomous vehicles are making a mistake in not understanding how important cars are to people. To read more, click the Guardian article here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: TOP 25 CAR HACKS (+ EXTRA BONUS HACK)

Forbes has created a list of what they consider the Top 25 Car Hacks. As cars become ever more connected thanks to legislation and companies looking at new ways to make money, risks increase. These risks are made worse when car companies are having to learn about software, attack vectors and realise copying and pasting GitHub code isn’t the greatest recipe for success. To run through the list, click the link here.

Andrew gives us an extra bonus security flaw, thanks to Ian Tabor, who runs Car Hacking Villages at security conferences. Journalists may want to pay attention to this one. To read more, click the link here.

AND FINALLY:

Alan takes part in a gathering of folks from the motoring world, on a Monday night, run by Damien Cross. If you would like to see last Monday’s meet up please click the YouTube link here.

Alan spent nine weeks with a Kia Stinger decorating his driveway during the lockdown. When restrictions eased and allowed him to go further than the supermarket, how did he get on?

To listen to Alan chat with Wolfgang Zieglmeier, one of the Principal Audio Engineers from Harman on the Stinger project, click here.

FOLLOW UP: MCLAREN FINDS FUNDING

McLaren has secured £150 million in funding after it got into difficulties due to the Covid-19 crisis. This does not cause all of the company’s issues to disappear, as they are still trying to raise more funds via a bond against its factory. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

FOLLOW UP: RENTAL E-SCOOTERS TO BE LEGALISED

The Government has announced that e-scooters will be legalised from Saturday, as long as they from a rental company. The idea is to offer another form of persona transport as we are still advised to avoid public transport where possible. Detail is light on exactly what will be allowed but the expectation is they will be banned from pavements, limited to 15.5mph and recommend that riders wear a helmet. To read more, click the BBC News article here.

DRIVING LESSONS ALLOWED AGAIN

From the 4 July, driving lessons will be permitted once again. Once again, the detail was light, on what exact measures would be needed for the safety of both instructors and learners. To read more about this and other major updates click the link here for the Autocar timeline update.

INCREASE IN NUMBER OF SPEEDERS CAUGHT

An article from the BBC News website, linked to below, came with a clickbait headline, which the chaps duly clicked, about an apparent increase in the number of drivers speeding being caught. Once you dig down into the facts, it is not quite that. To learn more, click the link here.

MOT EXEMPTION ENDS 1 AUGUST

From the 1 August, MOT tests will be required once again, bringing to an end the six-month postponement that had been introduced. To read more, click the Car Dealer link here.

2021 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW CANCELLED

The slim chance of the 2021 Geneva Motor Show taking place, has now been confirmed as feared. The Foundation will not accept the loan offer, or cannot accept due to its own rules, and selling the Foundation is their preferred solution. To read more, click the official press release here.

GOVERNMENT ADVICE GROUP CALLS FOR VEHICLE COSTS INCREASE

The Committee on Climate Change, an independent advisory group, has called for a number of steps to be taken by the Government to ensure the climate targets are still met, especially whilst we try to recover from the Covid-19 challenges. Some of these suggestions include increasing taxes on fuel, bringing forward the banning of ICE only vehicles and reducing reliance on car journeys. To read more, click the BBC News article here.

TVR SEARCHING FOR MORE INVESTMENT

TVR is looking for a further £25 million funding to help it produce the long-teased Griffith car. The company claims it is £40 million orders, yet has only director-level employees and owes roughly £5 million. After failing to raise the money via the London bond issue they are now seeking to do so in Dublin. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

ASTON MARTIN SEARCHING FOR MORE CASH

Aston Martin will issue shares as one of a variety of steps the company will take to try and raise £245 million to help it recover from the Covid-19 situation and launch the new DBX model next month. They have been granted a £20 million loan due to coronavirus and are seeking to draw a further £55 million of borrowing. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

AUTOMAKERS STRUGGLING TO COMPLY WITH STRICT EU RULES

New, tighter, EU emission rules are biting automakers hard, as the region’s new car CO2 average has increased to 122.4 g/km in 2019. The 2020 target is 95 g/km, which will require a significant drop, added to that the pandemic situation and expected financial knock-on effect will mean manufacturers will struggle. To read more, click the Automotive News Europe article here.

MCDONALD’S TO INSTALL EV CHARGERS

In partnership with InstaVolt, McDonald’s will install hundreds of electric car charging points across the UK. The chaps are waiting for the consultancy cheque to arrive in the post, as they recommended this course of action over three years ago. To read more, click the Independent article here.

We are pausing our Patreon for the foreseeable future due to the ongoing crisis, however, if you are still able to help someone, we recommend supporting Mission Motorsport’s COVID-19 Response Fund. To find out more click this link here.

Please note that we will be restarting our Patreon from the 1 July 2020. If you have any concerns over this, do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

FORMULA E: NIO333 SEARCHING FOR STAND IN DRIVER

For the completion of the 2019/20 season, NIO333 will not have the services of Ma, due to the difficulties and risks of travelling at this time, so they are searching for a stand-in. Names being mentioned include Piquet Jnr and Abt. To read more, click The Race article here.

FORMULA E: DS TECHEETAH TESTING NEXT SEASON POWERTRAIN

Current champion, Vergne, has been testing DS Techeetah’s powertrain for next season, in north-west France. To read more, click The Race article here.

LUNCHTIME READ: HISTORY OF THE FIAT PANDA

To celebrate the Panda’s 40th birthday, CAR Magazine has written a history of the car, from the origin of the name, through the many derivatives and how the car came back again. To read the article, click the link here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: ALFA ROMEO AT 110 - ITS GREATEST CARS

Another 'Happy Birthday’ is required, this time for Alfar Romeo as it reaches 110. There is a mammoth slide show from Autocar, as frankly, Alfa has made that many excellent cars. To spend some time gazing at a lot of truly wonderful cars, click the link here.

AND FINALLY: END OF THE ROAD FOR SEGWAY

We round the show out with the news that Segway will stop production in the US. They were a pioneer in personal mobility and, when we look back, will be seen to have been too ahead of their time. To read more, click the BBC News article here.

THE ZOOM ZOOMERS

Alan takes part in a gathering of folks from the motoring world, on a Monday night, run by Damien Cross. If you would like to see last Monday’s meet up please click the YouTube link here.