Daily Motor News – Friday 7 February 2025  

The ILC Wall of Love – a symbol of ILC Day in aid of children’s charity Rainbow Trust – continues to add more of the sector’s most recognisable brands to have committed their support. 

Taking place on Friday 14 February 2025, ILC Day helps raise much needed funds for the charity which supports families with a seriously ill child. Full story

AutoRaise relaunches to secure the future of automotive repair

AutoRaise, the charity dedicated to addressing the UK’s automotive repair skills crisis through apprenticeships, is relaunching during National Apprenticeship Week 2025 with a bold new vision to tackle the industry’s talent shortage. At a time when the industry faces over 5,000 unfilled roles, AutoRaise is stepping up efforts to connect young people with life-changing career opportunities. Full story

Allianz UK prevents record level of fraud

Leading insurer Allianz UK uncovered 33,027 instances of insurance fraud worth a total of £157.24m in 2024 – equivalent to 90 frauds worth £430,000 a day, and up 10% on the £142.38m figure for 2023. Across motor, trends included a continued increase in the frequency of non-tariff injuries (injuries excluding soft-tissue/whiplash claims) being claimed, and moped riders and couriers inducing and fabricating incidents to make claims often called ‘cash-for-crash’ scams. Full story

Is car insurance cheaper for electric cars?

Is car insurance for electric cars cheaper? It’s a question we hear a lot. The simple answer is: not necessarily. While electric vehicles (EVs) are often cheaper to run and maintain,insurance costs can sometimes be higher than that of petrol or diesel cars.However, the gap is closing, and in some cases, insurance for EVs is becoming cheaper. Let’s take a closer look. Full story

Car theft gang hacked keyless Land Rovers

A car thief who was part of a gang that stole up to £200,000-worth of keyless Land Rovers and Range Rovers has been given a suspended prison sentence.In all but one of the at least 14 crimes, the cars had keyless ignitions which the gang was able to hack into without the owner’s fob ever being taken, the court heard. Full story

Gartner identifies key automotive trends for 2025

Gartner, Inc. highlighted several trends set to shape the automotive sector in 2025, as the industry faces regulatory pressure on emissions and intense growth from China. It predicts that EV shipments will grow 17% this year and by 2030 more than 50% of all vehicle models will be EVs. Full story

Vauxhall owner reaffirms closure of Luton van factory within months

Vauxhall owner Stellantis has reaffirmed its plans to close its Luton van factory this year despite mounting pressure from Government, unions and local residents to reconsider. The move puts some 1,100 jobs at risk with its workforce in Bedfordshire offered roles at its Ellesmere Port plant 150 miles away in Cheshire. Stellantis claimed the decision was made ‘within the context of the UK’s ZEV mandate’. Full story

Traditional automakers need to rethink R&D strategies to stay competitive

Established global automakers are facing rising competition from insurgent OEMs as the latter are generating more volume and profit yet spending significantly less in R&D per model they develop. Bain & Company’s new report recommends traditional OEMs to review their product portfolios and rethink their R&D strategies to stay competitive. Full story

Volkswagen Future Plan: Passenger Cars brand gives first glimpse of entry-level electric model at works meeting

Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, presented plans for the future of the core brand. Employees also had a first glimpse of the design of the Volkswagen brand’s future entry-level electric model at a price of about €20,000.Volkswagen plans to present the show car for the new entry-level model to the public at the beginning of March. Full story

Toyota Open Labs invites small and medium-sized companies to join the mobility transformation and create a sustainable future

Toyota Motor Europe and partners have launched an open call for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to apply to join the Toyota Open Labs innovation platform. The initiative aims to connect SMEs with business units across the Toyota group and support their ambitions to collaborate, scale up and contribute to a sustainable future. Full story

National Apprenticeship Week: The IMI calls for urgency over critical reforms in apprenticeship funding

Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is calling for urgency over reforms for apprenticeship funding. The professional body believes this is critical to ensure a robust skills pipeline can meet the automotive sector’s future needs, which are integral to the government’s net zero targets. Full story

Green NCAP announces top category winners with the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa awarded Greenest Full Electric Car

Green NCAP has announced the Top Category Winners – the ‘greenest’ cars in their categories – for 2024. In 2024, eight cars from China, France, Germany, Japan, and the US set the green standard, revealing the potential of vehicles to minimise environmental impact in relation to their emissions and road performance. Full story

Vertu Motors cuts jobs and closes showrooms on Sundays after budget blow

The country’s third largest car retailer says it is cutting jobs and closing its dealerships on a Sunday as part of efforts to reduce costs amid tough trading and looming budget tax hikes. Vertu Motors, which has almost 200 sites operating predominantly under the Bristol Street Motors, Vertu and Macklin Motors brands, made the announcement while revealing an unscheduled profit warning. Full story

SEMA Releases New Research on Future Auto Trends

New research by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) sheds light on future and emerging trends impacting the automotive aftermarket, whose annual £270bn economic impact is a key driver of the American economy. It says challenges emerge from stagnant vehicle costs and interest rates, coupled with consumers fiscally stressed by cost increases for auto insurance and repairs. Full story

The Financial Ombudsman Service has announced that Abby Thomas is stepping down as Chief Executive and Chief Ombudsman.

Hendy Group has restructured with Paul Murrells appointed Regional Operations Director East, David Cooper named Regional Operational Director Central, John Stone appointed Regional Operational Director West, and Pete Walker named Group Aftersales Director.