Daily Motor News – Monday 27 January 2025 

Customer demand for personalised colour options is increasing, according to Jaguar Land Rover, which has announced it is now investing £65m to expand its specialist paint facilities.  

Personalised colour options enable customers to choose bespoke colours for their vehicles. JLR has said demand has doubled since 2022, and will now open new paint facilities in Castle Bromwich, West Midlands and Nitra, Slovakia.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Mitsubishi will not be part of the new Nissan/Honda merger. Nissan and Honda announced plans to consolidate their businesses last month. As a Nissan shareholder, Mitsubishi was expected to be part of the new holding company. However, it’s now emerged the company will collaborate with both in technology development but remain independent.

Also in the news, Aldi has announced that from the end of this month it will sell a new line of products intended to save motorists on repair bills. Among the new products, its £6.99 Dent Repair Kit has been developed to help drivers fix dents themselves. Other products include an Anti-theft Car Key Pouch and Tyre Puncture Sealant. Elsewhere, Essex Police have discovered another ‘chop shop’ where stolen vehicles were being dismantled and their parts sold.

Car owners can save more than £300 with one Aldi product

Whether it’s from a parking error or a roadside bump, denting a car can be a stressful and costly mistake with repairs costing drivers £335 on average. To help shoppers save on costly repairs, Aldi has announced it is launching its latest range of must-haves for motor repairs.

Among the new products, its £6.99 Dent Repair Kit has been developed to help drivers fix dents themselves. Full story

Somerset Bridge extends alliance with AX as exclusive outsourced claims handling and repair management partner

Somerset Bridge Group has extended its partnership with AX Automotive three years after the accident management specialist gained exclusivity for its entire non-fault outsourced requirements. Delivering an innovative insurance provision focused on underwriting, broker and claims handling services, the partnership now incorporates its seamless provision of claims handling, vehicle rental, repair management and total loss expertise. Full story

Police cut into ‘chop shop’ and find stolen BMW

Dismantled vehicles have been discovered after police officers cut their way into a “chop shop”. Essex Police said it had traced a stolen BMW to a storage yard in the Wickford area on Thursday. Full story

Mayor appoints experts to improve road safety and increase cycling and walking

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, has made two major appointments to deliver on his pledges to improve road safety and boost cycling and walking across the region. These are the first commissioners appointed by the Mayor and will advise on road safety and active travel – the collective term for cycling and walking – working with the Mayor’s new Transport Taskforce. Full story

Electric cars now last as long as petrol and diesel counterparts

Electric vehicles (EVs) now last as long as petrol and diesel alternatives – and their improving reliability outpaces fossil fuel-powered cars each year because the technology is still maturing. Rob Elliot at the University of Birmingham, UK, and his colleagues analysed nearly 300 million records from the UK’s compulsory roadworthiness test between 2005 and 2022. This covered some 29.8 million vehicles in total. Full story

Shared vision on future development of vehicle-to-everything in the European Union

ACEA, ChargeUp Europe, and SmartEN call on policy makers to ensure the effective functioning of the bidirectional charging market and stimulate user uptake. The green and digital transformation presents both challenges and opportunities for the automotive sector. As the role of EVs expands, the concept of bidirectional charging becomes crucial to managing the energy demands of the transition to zero-emissions mobility. Full story

JLR invests £65m in sustainable expansion of luxury paint operations for bespoke vehicle personalisation

JLR is investing £65m in sustainably expanding its special paint facilities globally to meet growing demand for personalised luxury vehicles and reduce the environmental impact of its most carbon intensive manufacturing processes. The company has seen demand for personalised colour options, where clients can choose from hundreds of Bespoke Paint and elevated palette options across its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models, more than double since FY22. Full story

Mitsubishi Motors opts out of Honda-Nissan merger

Mitsubishi Motors has decided not to participate in a proposed merger between Honda Motor and Nissan Motor. Instead, the company will focus on increasing collaboration with both firms in technology development, particularly in software, EVs, and other advanced technologies. Full story

Biennial MOT testing consultation begins

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is launching a consultation to seek views on changing the frequency of MOT testing from one year to two years (Biennial) for some private cars, motorcycles and light goods vehicles. The consultation will run for 12-weeks from 22 January 2025 until 16 April 2025. Full story

Tesla also sues EU over electric vehicle duties

Elon Musk’s Tesla will face off with the European Commission in court in Luxembourg after joining three Chinese carmakers – BYD, SAIC and Geely – in suing the bloc over duties on made-in-China electric vehicles, two industry sources told POLITICO. Full story

Secure Gateways: Unlocking their role and impact on the automotive industry

In the automotive industry, a secure gateway is a system designed by the vehicle manufacturer to protect a car’s internal systems from unauthorised external access. It also prevents aftermarket tools from gaining entry to sensitive data and software within the vehicle. From a technology standpoint, secure gateways are becoming commonplace in vehicles and access to them is being made harder by the manufacturer. Full story

GM is using California wildfires to pilot mobile DC fast chargers

GM has deployed three of its HYDROTEC hydrogen gensets to the Los Angeles area as a way to help generate power for EV drivers and emergency vehicles recovering from the devastating effects of the recent wildfires. Full story

MOTER Technologies announces partnership with Sony Honda Mobility to power insurance offerings for AFEELA

MOTER Technologies (MOTER) announced a key partnership with Sony Honda Mobility of America ISHMA) to provide integrated insurance solutions for AFEELA, Sony Honda Mobility’s new brand of software-defined electric vehicles. Leveraging MOTER’s expertise in OEM insurance programs and partnerships with insurance companies, this collaboration will enable a seamless, integrated customer experience for buyers of the AFEELA vehicles. Full story

Allianz Commercial has announced that Phuong Ly will be appointed Commercial Managing Director UK, subject to regulatory approval.

Cogent Hire has appointed Darren Entwistle as Business Development Director.

Arch Insurance International has promoted Mike Bottle to Managing Director of Arch Insurance UK Regional Division.