Motoring Podcast - News Show

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.
TATA RECEIVES MORE GOVERNMENT MONEY
The UK Government is investing £380 million in Tata’s battery factory, being built near Bridgewater in Somerset. The company states that once opened it will employ 4,000 staff on site. The money is coming from the Automotive Transformation Fund. Additionally a Devon based battery recycling facility and low-emission brake manufacturer have also been awarded money from the fund. Click this Autocar link to find out more.
STELLANTIS EUROPE TO STOP FIGHTING ITSELF
Giles Vidal, who is the head of design for Stellantis, gave a frank interview with Autocar after he has spent a few months reacquainting himself with the brand following his time at Renault. His main point was that the group’s brands will be making cars that are distinct from each other, despite the shared underpinnings and restrictions that brings. Music to the ears of us, here at the Motoring Podcast! To read more, click the link here.
BYD TO INSTALL CHARGING NETWORK
BYD will be installing 300 chargers with a maximum capacity of 1500kW, making them the fastest in the UK. BYD claims that this can enable five minute charging of of 10% to 70% for their new 123kWh battery. These sites will be open to all car brands and will be run under the name ‘Flash’. As ever though, what a charger is capable of and what the grid can provide are often two different things, in the UK. For more on this story, click this Autocar article link here.
UK’S LARGEST EHGV CHARGING HUB
Fleete (no, that’s not a spelling mistake), has opened the largest UK eHGV charging hub. Located at the Port of Tilbury , it has 16 ultra-rapid chargers enabling up to 16 eHGVs to charge at the same time. The company plans to open a 26 bay facility near Birmingham too. Click this EV Powered article link here to read more.

On Thursday 23 April at 20:00 BST, we will be going live with a Q&A on our YouTube channel. We need your help though, send us your automotive and motoring related question you would like to hear us answer. To send one in use our Contact Page, linked to here, and put “Q&A” in the Subject Line so it does not get lost in all the spam.

NEW NEW CAR NEWS -
Honda Super-N
Honda has revealed a small EV, with up to 199 miles range and a price starting under £20,000 which will be coming to the UK this summer. Their previous foray into the small EV market was the Honda-E that was expensive for what it offered, although did look great. The Super-N seems to have addressed that, nearly 200 miles range for under £20,000 sounds great, hopefully real world use backs that up. Click this Motoring Research article link here, for more.
Cupra Raval
Cupra has unveiled their Renault 5 rival, the Raval. Starting price for the Core trim, will be just under £23,000, whilst offering around 185 maximum range. Moving up through the specs increases the prices and capabilities as the V1 and V2 levels can be fitted with a 52kWh battery enabling up to 280 miles maximum range. Top of the range aims to take on the Alpine A290, with an approximately £37,000 price tag and a drop in range to around 250 miles. Click this Autocar article link, for more.
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
As we stated a few weeks ago, Mitsubishi is bringing back the Outlander PHEV when they return to the UK market. The price will start at £46,995, but full technical specs are yet to be released. Information that EV Powered has managed to gleam includes an expected EV-only range around 53 miles, with an overall of about 500 miles. Does it bring anything new enough to the market to attract buyer? Time will tell. Click this EV Powered link, for more.
LUNCHTIME READ: ESTATE OF THE MARKET
S.V. Robinson, on Driven to Write, discusses affordable estate cars or the lack of them, more to the point. As he owns one himself he explains how he keeps an eye out, essentially for what he might replace his Octavia with. Pickings are thing. Click this link to read through his thoughts on what is out there now and also to become a little sad at the state of the market.
LIST OF THE WEEK: PERFORMANCE VS PRACTICALITY
Tom Ford has compiled another special list for Top Gear, that we are recommending to you. Often we are shown concepts that are either all about the performance or practicality. Very rarely does these cross over. Click the link here to see what your options are.
AND FINALLY: THE FUTURE FROM BACK IN 1982
Antony Ingram, writing for Hagerty, explains all about the fascinating British Leyland ECV 3, which was an experimental design that incorporates a lot of what we expect in cars today, but were very futuristic in 1982. Click this link to find out more and learn a little about British Leyland and innovation.

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 back as April 1948, when it comes to humans supervising automated systems. Click this Sage Journals link to N H Mackworth’s research examining this issue.
MOTABILITY DRIVERS SINGLED OUT AGAIN
Thanks to the victimisation of those using the Motability scheme, originating from a far-right ‘think-tank’, all drivers under 30 and those newly entering the scheme will have to have black boxes fitted. These boxes will record their journeys and from the binary inputs of those drivers they will be ‘judged’ on how well they drive. This is despicable because the technology cannot judge because it is only using the binary inputs on braking, accelerating and steering with absolutely no knowledge of the environment or anything occurring around the vehicle. For more on this story, click this article link here from The Canary.
NEW MOT RULES FOR 2026
There are new MOT rules, for the UK, in 2026. Most of the onus is on the garages themselves, but you should be aware of them. The Government is asking for the centres to do more but is keeping the price cap where it is. To find out what the changes are, click this link to a MotorCheck article link here.
LUCID COMING TO THE UK IN 2027
Lucid is bringing their next to be revealed car, the Cosmos, to the UK in 2027. This will be an electric SUV which is aiming at the likes of the BMW iX3 and Volvo EX60. There are no images yet, nor any technical details. Click this Autocar article link here to find out more.
SCOUT LAUNCH IN THE US PUT BACK TO 2028
The launch of Scout, in the US, by Volkswagen is being delayed until 2028. Thanks to the change in Governmental policy the company is reportedly re-engineering the cars to take range extender technology when they were to be EV only. For more on this story, click this electrive article link here.
STELLANTIS RECALLS 44,000 UK CARS
Around 44,000 Stellantis cars, fitted with the 1.2 litre petrol engined mild hybrid, are being recalled in the UK due to a potential fire risk. The vehicles were built between 2023 and 2026. To find out if you car or the car of friends and family is covered, click this Autocar article link, which breaks down how many from the individual brands.

On Thursday 23 April at 20:00 BST, we will be going live with a Q&A on our YouTube channel. We need your help though, send us your automotive and motoring related question you would like to hear us answer. To send one in use our Contact Page, linked to here, and put “Q&A” in the Subject Line so it does not get lost in all the spam.

NEW NEW CAR NEWS -
Kia EV2
Kia has announced the EV2 prices, ahead of them going on sale later this year. There is some complication to all this as there is a First Edition option, which will be, yes you guessed it, the launch edition but that starts at £26,995 and has a 42kWh battery and 198 miles range. However, the entry to the range, available later, is the Air trim which will get a 61kWh battery and 281maximum range. Click this Motoring Research article link here, to run through the trim levels and see if one meets your needs.
For the link to the Special Edition about Kia at Milan Design week, click here.
Leapmotor A05
Leapmotor is expected to be bringing the A05 to the UK later this year. The car is aimed at the VW ID.3 and is expected to be priced around £25,000. Unfortunately, the external looks leave a lot to be desired. Click this Autocar article link for more.
Seat and Cupra Ateca sales end
Seat and Cupra are ending the sale of the Ateca. Originally launched a decade ago, this SUV is now not seen as worth updating in its current guise. Click this Auotcar link here to read more.
LUNCHTIME READ: THE ISUZUS JUST GET US THERE
Hagerty and John Voelcker are our recommendations to you this week. John explains why he and friends take their old Isuzus on a long road trip and how the car is just the ‘vehicle’ (pun intended, for a change) for friends to get together in a shared joy. Click this link here to read more and maybe you too will be inspired to do something similar.
LIST OF THE WEEK: 20 ALFA ROMEO CARS NEVER MADE
Classic & Sports Car has a list of 20 Alfa Romeos that were never made, for you to peruse and chose from. Do you agree with Alan and Andrew’s choices? Click this link here to see your options.
AND FINALLY: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE RENAULT 21
We refused to believe that the Citroën Saxo is 30 years old, recently. As did some of you. Another car that we cannot believe is the age it is, is the Renault 21. Once a common sight on UK roads, time has not been kind but when a company decides one platform/layout is not enough, it is easy to see why. Click this Hagerty article link here for more.

FOLLOW UP: FCA CONFIRM FINANCE MIS-SELLING REDRESS
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed the details for the redress scheme, following finance mis-selling to car buyers. Less people will be eligible to claim, as somehow they have deemed that dealer direct to manufacturer finance was not liable to the same issues as was found to be open to abuse. However, the average payout will be higher than expected, at £829. For more on this, click the Autocar article link here.
JLR FIND A NEW STRATEGY CHIEF
Tata exec, Balaje Rajan, has become the chief strategy officer for JLR. This move indicates a tighter alignment with between the companies. We can expect more platform sharing plus electrification and software development being closer aligned. You can read more about this, by click the Autocar India article link here.
JLR HALTS PRODUCTION AT SOLIHULL
JLR has halted production at the Solihull plant, due to a problem with their supply chain, specifically one supplier. We do not know who the supplier is, nor what the part is. This pausing of production dovetails into a planned shutdown over the Easter period. Click this Business Maters article link here, to read more.
£1B FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO HELP E-LORRIES AND E-VANS
The UK Government rolled out two initiatives to help the transition to zero emission lorries and vans. First is the Zero Emissions Truck and Van Grant, with the second being the Depot Charging Scheme. The aim is to assist with two of the major blocks for companies switching, costs to buy and lack of infrastructure. For more details, click this EV Powered article link here.
AFEELA CANCELLED BY HONDA AND SONY
The joint-venture between Honda and Sony, called Afeela, has been cancelled following Honda’s decision to can their 0 Series EVs. This is no real surprise as the project was going to use a lot of the 0 Series technology and platform. If you wish to read more, click this Top Gear article link here.
VW TO RECALL NEARLY 100,000 EVS WORLD WIDE
The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has stated that the VW Group must recall 94,031 ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.Buzz and ID.Buzz Cargo, plus Cupra Born vehicles, globally, built between 7 February 2022 and 23 August 2024. The vehicle batteries do not meet the agreed specification and might produce reduced driving range as well as there being a risk of fire. Click this electrive article link for more information.
BRING A TRAILER COMING TO THE UK
The US auction site, Bring a Trailer, is coming to the UK. Last year the company $1.7 billion in sales and now sees this as the right time to bring their way of doing things to the UK classics market. For more on this story, click this link to a Motoring Research article.
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 -
Dacia Striker
Dacia has revealed what we are told is an estate, but it is not, its a crossover. Going up against the likes of the Skoda Octavia, it is aligned with the Bigster. Details are very thin on the ground, including what the interior looks like. Click this Autocar article to see more about this handsome looking car.
Jeep Easter Safari Concepts
That time of year has rolled around again where Jeep go off on an Easter Safari, in Moab Desert, with their tricked out cars. Always a treat to see what they have come up with, this year is no different. Click this Carscoops article to see more.
Mika Mino
The Miko Mino is designed with the core philosophy of small and light. A collaboration between friend of the show Nir Kahn and Robin Hall, they are pursuing this core axiom with lazer focus. To find out more about this idea, click here for an EV Powered exclusive article.
LUNCHTIME READ: THE AUTOMOBILE AS AN APPLIANCE
Driven to Write provide the article we are recommending you read whilst enjoying your lunch this week. Often it is said, on this show, how cars are becoming appliances to most, but what if that idea was the basis for a concept that was explored? Find out more, by clicking this link here.
LIST OF THE WEEK: THE 20 GREATEST WEDGES
We all like concept cars, but one way to make them much cooler is for one to be wedge shaped. Well, Top Gear are not content with that, how about 20 wedge shaped concept cars? Click this link to check out your options.
AND FINALLY: HOW DIRTY IS THE A1?
Listener’s discretion is needed with this week’s recommendation. Auto Shenanigins is asking the question many of us have wondered, why are there so many adult stores on the A1? Click this YouTube link to find out.

FOLLOW UP: MCGOVERN OFFICIALLY LEAVING JLR
Following an ‘is he/isn’t he’ saga which started back at the beginning of December 2025, Gerry McGovern is officially leaving JLR at the end of March 2026. He will be starting his own consultancy. Details are almost non-existent outside of that. Click this Autocar article for the story.
AUDI MAKES £2.9 BILLION PROFIT
As expected, more brands from within the Volkswagen Group have been announcing their financial results for 2025. Audi, despite it being a difficult year, managed to make a £2.9 billion profit, from a revenue of £56.6 billion. This was all done whilst fewer overall vehicles were delivered. To read more, click this Autocar article.
BENTLEY TO CUT JOBS
Bentley had a difficult 2026 and as a result are going to shed 150 jobs. Some are open positions they won't fill but the rest will come from office based roles. Additionally they have had to tweak their product plans partly due to Porsche postponing their platform development. If you want to learn more, click this Autocar article link here.
ROLLS ROYCE NOT GOING 100% EV FROM 2030
Rolls Royce has announced that it will no longer be producing EVs exclusively, from 2030. They state that customer wishes mean that they will still offer internal combustion engine options. For more on this, click this link here to take you an EV Powered article.
THATCHAM SPLITS FROM EURONCAP
Thatcham, after 22 years in partnership, are splitting from EuroNCAP and developing their own systems for testing car safety systems. They mention real world safety quite a bit and also how they believe the technology should not be intrusive and annoying. Time will tell if they can deliver on this. Click this link here to read more from Autocar.
EU RELAXES CO2 RULES FOR LORRIES
The EU has listened to lorry manufacturers and softened the requirements of their fleets, in terms of CO2 emissions. Whilst the fixed jumps, from the interim targets at 2025, 2030 and 2040 still stand, the intervening years will not have moving requirements. This means, if a brand manages to exceed the target they can carry over that extra to the next year, thus companies are rewarded for pushing. If you want to find out more, click this electrive article link here.
LYTEN BUYS MORE OF NORTHVOLT
Lyten, a US based company, has continued to purchase operations from the collapsed Northvolt electric car battery and recycling company, this time they have bought the Swedish battery recycling facility at Skellefteå. For more about this story, click this electrive article link here.
FRESH ZEBRA FUNDING MADE AVAILABLE
The Government has announced a new raft of funding for the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) to a total of £73.2 million. There are 10 areas across England that will receive money to help pay for infrastructure and electric buses. To read more, click this electrive article link here.
FIRST YEAR ZEV MANADATE REPORT
The UK Government has finally published their report on compliance with the car and van zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate for 2024. No brand has been fined as all reached the required minimums through a combination of registration numbers and purchasing credits from others who had exceeded the requirements. Click this electrive article link here for more.
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 -
BMW i3
After much teasing BMW has finally taken the wraps off their i3 electric saloon. Boasting an astonishing range of up to 559 miles, with looks, both inside and out, that have divided opinion but cannot be trusted as we have only been given heavily rendered images so far. Further details are to be announced later, including the price. Click this Motoring Research article link here for more.
DS No7
The latest Stellantis brand to utilise the mid sized SUV platform is DS, being the premium one of the group they will be charging a suitable price, above their sister brands. Click this Autocar article link here to read more.
KGM Musso EV
KGM are bringing their first electric pickup to the UK from May 2026. With four wheel drive and payload capacity of 690kgs, the vehicle will have a maximum range of 240 miles. This is the fourth four wheel drive pickup for the UK market and it will be competitively priced at £42, 495 (inclusive of VAT and £2,500 Plug0In Van Grant). Click this Autocar article link here to read more.
LUNCHTIME READ: INSIDE GM’S DECISION TO HELP RESTORE A RARE EV1 FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
GM have seemed like a company embaressed by their pioneering EV1 which was available to the public on a strict leasing deal for two years in the later 1990s, with many examples having been destroyed and recycled. However, one person has managed to legally get hold of a damaged EV1 and is in the process of restoring it. GM heard and instead of deploying a fleet of lawyers to stop this their President heard and has ordered the company to help. Click this article link here from The Drive to find out more.
LIST OF THE WEEK: FORGOTTEN CARS OF THE 1990S
Autocar are where we are sending you this week. They have a slideshow dedicated to cars you might well have forgotten, if you are not Alan. Do you agree with chaps choices? Click this link here to see what your options are.
AND FINALLY: WALKING AROUND AND POINTING AT THINGS
This week we are recommending you click this HubNut YouTube video link to check out their interesting spots from the NEC Restoration Show. As ever, this is a lovely, relaxed film that will allow all of us who missed out to experience the sights and sounds of last weekend.

SMMT URGES GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW ZEV MANDATE
During the SMMT Electrified event, held last week, the call went out for an urgent review of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, as the reality is far below the assumptions that went into the amount of registrations demanded each year. Government representative immediately poured cold water on that hope, though. A review will not begin until 2027. For more on this story, click this EV Powered article link here.
NEW RENAULT STRATEGY ANNOUNCED
Renault Group’s new strategy will be called Futuready. Using the previous as the basis they will now launch 36 new models by 2030. These will be split across European and global markets. The three brands will continue to exploit what they do well and what customers expect from them. Additionally, a lot of talk is about technology and their partnership with Google. Click this Autocar article here, for more.
SEAT AND CUPRA 2025 SALES ARE IMPRESSIVE
Seat and Cupra had very impressive sales figures for 2025, but that did not translate to much of a profit thanks to tariffs and capex investment costs. Tariffs were imposed by the EU on Chinese made EVs, this hit the Tavascan as the company chose to not pass the costs onto customers. They are also investing in a new battery factory, developing new models and updating existing. To read more, click this Autocar article link here.
VW GROUP ANNOUNCE MORE HUGE COST CUTS
After a very rough 2025, the Volkswagen Group has posted an operating profit of 2.8%, which equates to €8.9 billion in revenue. The company announced there would be a new (or is it?) cost cutting drive, which will include up to 50,000 job loses. The aim is for cost savings around €6 billion per year by 2030. If you wish to find out more, click this Autocar article link here.
HONDA SCRAPS NEW EV MODELS
Honda has cancelled the launch of the 0 Series Saloon and SUV. They make it explicitly clear they are blaming the United States change in policy when it comes to EVs. They expect the write-down will cost them between £1.6 and £2.7 billion, this year, with more to come in 2026-27. Additionally, their products in other markets are not meeting customer requirements. You can find out further information by clicking this Autocar article link here.
STELLANTIS TO ADD MORE ELECTRIC VANS TO ELLESMERE PORT
Stellantis are to add more electric van production to their Ellesmere Port. The company is investing £50 million to add a new assembly line to the factory. The electric variant of the Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro will take up the newly created capacity. For more, click this electrive 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

NEW NEW CAR NEWS -
Jaecoo 8
In May Jaecoo will be selling the 8, their range topping SUV, in the UK. Prices will start at £45,500 for the PHEV. That is a £10,000 jump over the 7 PHEV, but it does not offer a third row of seats. Click this Autocar article to find out all the details.
Caterham Seven HWM Edition
HWM is the dealership that Caterham is tied closely to but also was a racing team with their own car that Sir Sterling Moss won his first F1 race in. The latest Seven plays homage to them for this, with cars painted in the HWM Green, also the grille in the nose cone harks back to team. Click this EVO article link to learn all the details.
Mercedes-Benz VLE
Mercedes has revealed the VLE, an electric V-Class sized vehicle that is hoped will bring it new customers. Externally it has the very prominent grille and the rear looks like its been taken from a Hyundai Inonq 9. Inside the press pics show an interior that is festooned with more light strips than a Twitch streamers setup. Click this Autocar article link to find out all the details, including an impressive claimed range.
LUNCHTIME READ: TOWER OF POWER
Top Gear are where we are pointing your attention this week. Ollie Marriage brings to life his adventure with Mark Riccioni as they drove in Georgia. The writing is wonderful and the pictures are stunning, hopefully this encourages you to plan a trip, but maybe one less “tricky”. Click the link here to read more.
LIST OF THE WEEK: SEVEN BRILLIANT AND PERFECTLY FORMED TINY CONCEPT CARS
We stick with Top Gear as the outlet to visit, this time for seven tiny but wonderful concept cars. Do you agree with Andrew’s choice? Click this link here to see what your options are.
AND FINALLY: CARS AND FILMS
Jesús Predencio is a graphic designer who has created some wonderful, striking art involving cars, with his most famous project probably being Cars and Films. Click this Classic & Sports Car article to find out more. Additionally, at the bottom of the piece are several links to Jesús’s work which you must check out.