Motoring Podcast - News Show

FOLLOW UP: SMART #2 CORRECTION

During the last Special Edition, we got a few details incorrect when discussing the Smart #2. One of our listeners, Tony, kindly pointed this out to us. Thank you, as we try to be correct and if we make a mistake we like to correct it. If you want to listen to the Paris Motor Show episode, click either of these links here.

To 👂 via streaming click 👉 https://www.motoringpodcast.com/episodes/2026/10/23/se716

To 👂 via other services click 👉 mpnewsshow.captivate.fm/list

VOLVO TO CUT WORKFORCE

Volvo will b...

The Paris Motor Show took place between the 12 and 18 October 2026. Alan and Andrew round up the highlights that caught their eye during the week.

For Autocar’s main coverage and report, click this link here.

For Average Joes’s coverage, click this link here.

For a sweep by Autocar, of the new cars being shown, click this link here.

To watch Tim Rodie Drives Stuff tour of the show, click this YouTube link here.

For DefinitetlyNotAGuru’s tour, click this YouTube link here.

To see what the House...

FOLLOW UP: MOTOR FINANCE REDRESS HEARING IN 2027

The date for the hearing of the two complaints into the motor finance redress scheme has been confirmed to take place between 16 and 26 February 2027. The scheme will remain in its current semi-suspended status until after the rulings. There is a potential for the ruling to not take place until the summer of 2027 with compensation expected to take place from 2028. For more on this matter, click this article link from The Law Gazette here.

CHINA REDUCING TAX REBATE FOR EXPORTED NEVS

The Chinese Government has announced that...

In this week’s show, Alan starts with a follow-up on China agreeing to limit the number of hybrid and PHV cars it imports into the EU, and discusses Porsche's forthcoming halo-vehicle and strategy announcements.

Google Maps and Waze are now displaying fuel prices, Freelander is confirmed for the UK - eventually, and TfL makes a bid to regulate “robocabs” in London.

In New New Car News, Alan talks about he likelihood of success of the much-discussed Jaguar Type-01, the Nissan Pixo, and the Bentley Torcal. Lunchtime Read covers the history of the Peugeot 309; there are 10...

Alan was invited to the launch of the Peugeot e208 GTi, an electric hot hatch, conveniently close to home. What does he think? Is it a worthy successor to the still-lauded 205 GTi, or is it a pretender? We discuss it in depth in this Special Edition.

Alan’s also done a walk round on YouTube, so you can enjoy him pointing at things while he talks about them. You can find it here: https://youtu.be/GdVyzyeQhs4

If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider sup...

SEPTEMBER 2026 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES

The SMMT announced surprisingly impressive numbers for September 2026 registrations. Astonishingly surprising numbers. One third of registrations took place in the last three days of the month. BEVs were up to 99,201 and Private figures were up nearly 14% compared to 2025. For the Top 10 models, do remember it is coming up to an earnings call for one company you see in that table. Click this article link, from SMMT, to learn more.

VW RIP UP WORKER’S CONTRACTS

Volkswagen has cancelled several contracts with IG Metal union workers prompting a furious ba...

FOLLOW UP: BIG PUSH TO PROTECT UK AUTOMOTIVE RELEVANCE

The campaign to push both the UK Government and EU into a favourable deal connected to the ‘Made in Europe’ regulation is gaining momentum from within the industry. The SMMT has produced a report to claims the UK industry contributes €24 billion in ‘economic activity’ across the continent. This is to try and show that be excluding the UK would actually hurt the EU. Click this article link from Motor Trader, to read more.

The EU, for its part, has some demands of the UK, if they are to be...

SKODA LOSE A CEO AND VOLVO GAIN ONE

Klaus Zellmer is leaving Skoda to head up Volvo. Håkan Samuelsson will hand over the reigns of the Swedish company no later than 1 October 2027 as per his contract. Zellmer had been in charge of Skoda since 2022 and with the VW Group for almost 30 years. If you wish to find out more, click this Autocar article link here.

Not content with appointing a new CEO, Volvo have plans to launch 13 new models by 2030. Additionally, they will be developing model variant specifically for different regions. Reading between the l...

FOLLOW UP: SALE OF BUGATTI COMPLETED

Porsche has completed the sale of its shares in Bugatti Rimac and the Rimac Group. This has netted them around €1 billion, destinations for portions of this have already been decided with €250 million going to the pension fund. The rest helps makes the company more financially stable. If you want to learn more, click this Autonext article link here.

XPENG TAKES UK DESTINY INTO OWN HANDS

Xpeng has decided to open its own UK operations, instead of just relying on International Motors. They will begin this by opening a sa...

FOLLOW UP: VW COST CUTTING MEASURES CONFIRMED

The board of the Volkswagen Group has agreed to the restructuring plans that will include closing four plants, halving the number of models offered and an additional 50,000 roles to be culled. Additionally the Seat brand is to be retired in 2030. There is also a change in tactic with their Chinese operations, where they plan to build cars and export from the country to other markets. To find out more, click this Autocar article link here.

FOLLOW UP: JLR COST CUTTING MEASURES INCLUDE JOBS

Catching many by...

Lotus buys Lotus

Lotus Tech has bought Lotus Advanced Technologies to become one singular Lotus once again. It’s all very complex, but thankfully there’s this story from Top Gear for reference.

Hyundai and Genesis aim for massive Range Expansion

Tha’s range of cars, not range of vehicles. The Korean manufacturing giant is planning 41 new cars in Europe by 2030 according to Autocar.

EVs and SUVs May Or May Not Be To Blame For Potholes, Say Experts

A report for the Institute of Civil Engineers says SUVs and EVs ar...

FOLLOW UP: CHECK OUT THE AND FINALLY

We have, thanks to listener Farmer Jamie, both Follow Up and the And Finally all wrapped up into one. Wait till the end to find out more…..

GEELY LOSES THEIR BOSS

Li Shufu, the founder of Geely, has shocked many with his announcement that he is stepping down from his role as chairman of the automotive branch. An Conghui will take over the reigns of the company. Jerry Gan will become the new CEO, as the current, Gui Shengyue, is moving to vice chairman. If you wa...

FOLLOW UP: TESLA SWEDISH STRIKE ENDS

We first mentioned how Swedish Tesla workers had gone on strike, back on 21 November 2023. The dispute has come to an end after Tesla paid off all the workers who remained on strike, with severance packages. That’s one way to ‘win’. To read more, click this electrive article link here.

UK GOVERNMENT BEGINS ZEV MANDATE CONSULTATION

Following months of lobbying, the UK Government has finally started to review the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate. They have opened a consultation that will close on the 23 October 2026. This is a tric...

FOLLOW UP: QUESTION FROM LAST LIVESTREAM

With last week’s livestream round up of Recharging Round Britain, we missed one question out. We fix that now. To listen to the audio version of the livestream, click this link here.

To watch the livestream, click this YouTube link here.

FOLLOW UP: ASTON MARTIN IN FIGHT WITH CREDITORS

More details have come to light with the plans Aston Martin have to restructure their debt. Part of the deal would involve the company selling the non-automotive intellectual rights to Authentic Brands, which is part ow...

We completed the Recharging Round Britain road-trip on the 18 July 2026, after six days trying to, sort of, replicate the EV trip we undertook a decade ago. This is the audio from our livestream where we summarised what we got up to this time.

Hear why we did this in the first place, the route, the charging, the car, the calculated costs and how we got on with our I-Spy book!

CHARGING SPONSOR

Thanks to our charging sponsor, GRIDSERVE, They have an EV charging network that spans almost the whole of the...

FOLLOW UP: VW RESULTS FOR H1 OF 2026 ARE BAD

The headline figures for Volkswagen Group’s first half of 2026 financial results make for grim reading. There is a 11.6% drop in profits, despite revenue almost matching 2025. China was a big disappointment, but should not have been a surprise. Company claims cost savings are working already and the plans, which we are yet to know the full details, will accelerate the benefits to the company. Click this Autocar article link here, for more.

Part of the plans to reduce costs, that we have heard about, include shedding jo...

FOLLOW UP: COURT MAINLY RULES IN FAVOUR OF OEMS IN UK DIESELGATE TRIAL

A UK judge has found mostly in favour of car manufacturers in the claims against them regarding defeat devices being fitted to cars between 2012 and 2017. The judge’s decision is based on her decision that a defeat device needs to be deliberately installed to create a different driving operation if it senses it is in test conditions, but this has not been proven to be the case. If you wish to learn more, click this article link here, from The Law Society Gazette.

DAY 6

Today, Saturday 18 July 2026, we continued with Day 6 of Recharging Round Britain the final leg, where we are trying to, as closely as we can, recreate the route we undertook nearly a decade ago. Hear how we got on yesterday to the final destination of Fort William and today as we travelled from Fort William, via Bothwell services, Tebay services, Killington Lakes services, Blackpool and the end of the road near Preston.

CHARGING SPONSOR

Thanks to our charging sponsor, GRIDSERVE, They have an EV charging network that spans almost the whole of the...

DAY 5

Today, Friday 17 July 2026, we continued with Day 5 of Recharging Round Britain, where we are trying to, as closely as we can, recreate the route we undertook nearly a decade ago. Hear how we got on today as we travelled from Inverness, via Wick, John o’Groats, Tongue, Lairg, Ullapool and hopefully ending up at Fort William.

CHARGING SPONSOR

Thanks to our charging sponsor, GRIDSERVE, They have an EV charging network that spans almost the whole of the UK.

While you can just turn up and pay with a debit card or...

DAY 4

Today, Thursday 16 July 2026, we continued with Day 4 of Recharging Round Britain, and we returned to trying to, as closely as we can, recreate the route we undertook nearly a decade ago. Hear how we got on today as we travelled from Washington, via Kinross, Perth, Aberdeen to eventually arrive at Inverness.

CHARGING SPONSOR

Thanks to our charging sponsor, GRIDSERVE, They have an EV charging network that spans almost the whole of the UK.

While you can just turn up and pay with a debit card or their app, you can...

DAY 3

Today, Wednesday 15 July 2026, we continued with Day 3 of Recharging Round Britain, and this is where we do not try as closely as we can to recreate the route we undertook nearly a decade ago. Hear how we got on today as we travelled from Folkestone, via Toddington, Tibshelf services, Markham Vale, Wetherby to our hotel in Washington.

CHARGING SPONSOR

Thanks to our charging sponsor, GRIDSERVE, They have an EV charging network that spans almost the whole of the UK.

While you can just turn up and pay with a debit...

DAY 2

Today, Tuesday July 2026, we continued with Day 2 of Recharging Round Britain, where we try as closely as we can to recreate the route we undertook nearly a decade ago. Hear how we got on today as we travelled from Bodmin, via Falmouth, Exeter, Southampton, Cobham Services eventually to our hotel in Folkestone.

CHARGING SPONSOR

Thanks to our charging sponsor, GRIDSERVE, They have an EV charging network that spans almost the whole of the UK.

While you can just turn up and pay with a debit card or their app, you...

DAY 1

Today, Monday 13 July 2026, we began Recharging Round Britain, where we try as closely as we can to recreate the route we undertook nearly a decade ago. Hear our daily updates as we find out what has changed, if anything, to the infrastructure, electric car technology and if its easier or not to do this harebrained adventure.

CHARGING SPONSOR

Thanks to our charging sponsor, GRIDSERVE, They have an EV charging network that spans almost the whole of the UK.

While you can just turn up and pay with a debit card...

FOLLOW UP: MOTOR FINANCE COMPENSATION SCHEME PAUSED

In what should be a surprise to no one following the story, thanks to the legal challenges of the Financial Conduct Authority’s proposed compensation scheme for customers who were impacted by illegal practices by those who arranged their finance, that this has now been partially paused. Companies are to proceed with claims as far as they can before hitting the areas under review, as well as tell those where their claim has failed. If you wish to learn more, click this Motor Trader article link here.

JUNE 2026 NE...

FOLLOW UP: UK GOVERNMENT CANS CAR PARK SOLAR CANOPIES

After reviewing a consultation on new outdoor large car parks should be required to fit solar panel canopies the Government has decided to shelve the idea. Costs and differing site conditions were used as excuses, in the responses, to the concept. To read more, click this East Anglia Bylines article link here.

VW NOW CONSIDERING 100,000 JOB LOSSES

According to reports, Volkswagen Group is now considering doubling the job losses to around 100,000 and the shutting down of four German plants. Additionally they are considering spinning...

UK GOVERNMENT IN TALKS WITH NISSAN OVER SUNDERLAND

Once again the UK Government is in talks with Nissan about helping the company to secure the future of the Sunderland plant. At least they are demanding commitments to future production at the site in return for financial aide. Negotiations are still ongoing. If you wish to read more, click this Yahoo!Finance article link here.

STELLANTIS TO BUILD FOR JLR IN THE US

Stellantis has reached an agreement with JLR to build their vehicles in the US. These will be from the Defender brand...

FOLLOW UP: MOTOR FINANCE PAYOUTS DELAYED UNTIL 2027

As suspected, following appeals against the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ruling and redress scheme, the FCA has announced that payouts will be delayed until 2027, if it goes ahead at all. The appeals have argued for the scheme to be quashed due to the claim that the rules governing it are illegal. For more in this, click the link here for a MotorTrader article.

FOLLOW UP: INDUSTRY CALLS ON THE EU AND UK TO REACH NEW BREXIT DEAL

Industry bodies for both the UK and European ca...

MAY 2026 NEW CAR REGISTRATIONS

May’s registrations were the highest, for the month, since 2019. BEVs also were up, as is to be expected, with a monthly market share of 27.3%. The UK Government released the seventh Carbon Budget with an expectation that zero emission vans and cars will be 95% of all new registrations by 2030 - which bears no reflection with reality. For more, click this link to the SMMT article, here.

FORD OUTLINE EUROPEAN PLAN

Ford Europe has revealed their plan to turn around their fortunes, with five new models in the next four ye...

We held our second Live Question and Answer session on YouTube, where you the listener supplied the topics you wanted to hear us discuss. We enjoyed it so much and so it seems did you that we wanted to do it again. Do remember, this is the audio of that conversation, as a result the audio has not been edited for content in order for our real reactions to be heard.

We hope you enjoy it and do let us know your feedback, what can we do to improve it, do you want this to...

OXFORD STILL WON’T GO ELECTRIC FOR MINI

BMW is still reluctant to actually convert the Oxford Mini plant to enable their electric cars to be built. Thanks to Brexit, from the 1 January 2027, the UK is expected to be hit by the EU’s Rules of Origin after being delayed for three years. Additionally, production costs are increasing at the UK facility. For more on this, click here to read an electrive article.

ASTON MARTIN GET A NEW CCO

Andrea Baldi is the new Chief Commercial Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda Limited. He was...

FOLLOW UP: MOTABILITY PAUSES BLACK BOX USE

Motability has announced that it will be pausing the ‘Drive Smart’ scheme that included fitting a black box to cars owned by those under the age of 30 leasing a car from them. Unfortunately they are not cancelling it but will amend it and try again. This discriminates against disabled drivers rather than helping them be more independent and live as active a life as possible. Click this article link here, from Disability News Service, for more.

FOLLOW UP: THE TREASURY REJECTED MINISTERIAL CALL TO DROP PUBLIC CHARGING VAT RATE...

FOLLOW UP: CUSTOMERS ARE NOT GETTING MG3 SEAT FIX

EuroNCAP has called on customers with MG3s to get the free fix to their seats, following the failure under testing in September 2025. A front crash test exposed the issue with one side of the driver’s seat moving forward 111.5mm, mid impact. MG has an approved solution. For more on this story, click this Carscoops article link here.

JLR FINANCIAL RESULTS

JLR posted a loss of £244 million, for the last financial year. The company was impacted by the cyber attack, tariffs, a dwindling Chi...

FOLLOW UP: FCA WARNS PAYOUT SCHEME MAY FOLD

The Financial Conduct Authority has warned that there will be a delay of unknown time frame and even the potential for the finance mis-selling scheme to be cancelled, thanks to the appeals lodged. For more information on this, click this Autocar article link here.

APRIL 2026 NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES

April 2026 had the most registrations, since 2019. All except diesel market share went up, with BEV being the most impressive and ending up with an April market share of 26.2% meaning it is at 23.1% for the year so...

FOLLOW UP: MORE APPEAL AGAINST FCA RULING

Following the deadline passing for appealing against the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) plans for compensation following the car finance industry breaking the law, there are now three lenders fighting back. Mercedes-Benz Financial Services join VW Financial Servcices and CA Auto Finance. The companies have declined to clarify to the public why they have made the move. To find out more, click this link from MoneySavingExpert.

TOYOTA SUPPLIERS HIT BY IRAN CRISIS

Toyota has announced that their suppliers have already begun to state they are feeling th...

Alan was invited to the BYD Sealion DM-i launch. In this episode he tells us all about his first impressions of the car as well as give us some background on the company.

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

FOLLOW UP: APPEAL AGAINST FCA RULING

Consumer Voice, a consumer group, is to appeal against the FCA car finance miss-selling redress scheme. Their argument is that the way the compensation has been calculated does not reflect the real world and those affected will not be paid what they are actually owed. To find out more on this matter, click this Motor Trader article link here.

FOLLOW UP: APPEAL AGAINST VAT RULING FOR PUBLIC CHARGERS

HMRC has decided it will appeal against the tribunal ruling that found that VAT on public chargers should have...

We held our first ever live Question and Answer session, where you the listener supplied the topics you wanted to hear us discuss. This is the audio of that conversation, as a result the audio has not been edited for content in order for our real reactions to be heard.

We hope you enjoy it and do let us know your feedback, what can we do to improve it, do you want this to be a regular thing, all respectful comments will be considered.

FOLLOW UP: EU INDUSTRIAL ACCELERATOR ACT THREAT TO UK

We last covered this story on the episode Its talcum powder - 10 March 2026, but more have noticed the huge threat the ‘Made in Europe’ element is to the UK automotive industry. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has become increasingly vocal in its warnings. As it stands cars and parts made in the UK would not receive the incentives those made in the EU would. To read more, click this EV Powered article link here.

AUTOCAR GREAT WOMEN 2026

Autocar held their Great Wome...

NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES FOR MARCH 2026

SMMT has revealed the new car registration figures for March 2026. Unsurprisingly, EVs have had their best month yet, in the UK. Unfortunately, the market share is far from the 33% required by the Government. Lots of people and organisations were erroneously using the term “sales” when we only have figures for registrations. The SMMT once again called on the Government to review the ZEV mandate targets, adding the Iran war and it’s knock on effects to the usual, valid, points. Click this link here, from the SMMT, to read more.

TAT...

FOLLOW UP: NTSB REPORTS ON FATAL BLUECRUISE INCIDENTS

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published their report on two fatal incidents that involved Ford’s BlueCruise semi-automated driving system, that allows for ‘hands off eyes on’ driving. Some blame is being put on the driver’s “over-reliance” in the systems, but also it is made clear the company and regulations played a part. if you wish to read more on the findings, click this CNN article link here.

However, the findings fail to discuss the inherent flaw in the system that has been documented from as far...